Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum: Lyric's First Journey
by buneary855
Summary: Join Lyric, a 10-year-old girl from Jubilife City, and her Pokemon on a journey of a lifetime across the Sinnoh Region! Encounter many Pokemon, people, and legends, and perhaps make history alongside Lyric!
1. Lyric's New Journey

**Chapter 1: Lyric's New Journey!**

Lyric's mother knocks on Lyric's bedroom door, in an apartment near downtown Jubilife City. "Honey, are you awake? Today is your big day!" she calls. Lyric, a girl with straight, long, pinkish-coral hair and blue eyes, sits up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. "No, mom. I'm getting my Pokemon tomorrow. That's what you said." Her mom replies, "Lyric, I said that yesterday. You're getting a Pokemon today, and you don't have much time!"

Lyric's eyes shoot wide open. "AGH! I'm going to be late! I need my stuff! I'm not even packed!" she shouts.

"Lyric, it's okay. I packed you a small bag of everything you need: a change of clothes, a box of snacks, a water bottle, and your postcard. Just get your clothes on and come out for breakfast, okay?" her mom replies.

"Okay, mom. Be down in a second." Lyric says. She stands up and pulls on a pair of blue skinny jeans, a pink shirt with the letters 'PKMN' across it, and a light blue sweatshirt. After putting on a pair of socks, she slides her Poketch on her wrist and grabs her lucky pink-and-green pendant, tossing it over her head and around her neck. Lyric then opens the door and heads down the hall.

Her mother sits at the table. A bowl of Munchlax Crunch is on the table, next to a yellow backpack with Professor Rowan's postcard on top. Lyric hurries over and gobbles up her cereal while her mother talks. "So honey, you must be excited. All you have to do is head south to Sandgem Town, and then you get to choose between three Pokemon! Have you decided which one you might like?"

Lyric looks up at her mother, then down at her postcard. On the card, there are three pictures. "I really like Fire-type Pokemon, but Turtwig and Piplup are both so cute! I'll have to meet them before I choose."

Her mother smiles, taking Lyric's empty bowl to the sink. Lyric stands up and puts on her backpack. Her mother leads her to the door, and Lyric spins around to embrace her mother. After the hug, Lyric shouts goodbye and runs down the steps to the apartment's lobby.

She dashes out of the door and looks down at the postcard. The map displays an arrow pointing south. Lyric follows it in a hurry, and comes to an open road. Looking around, Starly and Bidoof play in the grass. Cherrim and Cherubi hide in the trees, singing. Lyric slows her gait. She eventually sees Sandgem Town on the horizon, and catches sight of a sign pointing to Professor Rowan's lab. She begins to run again, and breaks into a sprint as she draws closer. She suddenly trips, falling forward onto someone's back. They both land on the concrete. Lyric sits up, and the boy she knocked over hurries over to her. "All you alright?" he asks.

Lyric responds, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that. I'm Lyric."

The boy replies, "Hi! I'm Duncan. I was just heading to Professor Rowan's lab to get a Pokemon."

Lyric smiles. "So was I! Why don't we go together?" she asks.

Duncan nods and the two head down the path. Duncan was wearing black jeans, a green tank top, and a navy blue sweatshirt. His hair is short and spiked in the middle, and is green. Lyric steps up and scans her postcard on a small card reader. The glass doors open slowly, revealing a lab full of scientists and Pokemon. Professor Rowan suddenly steps out of a room and greets the two. "Hello. You must be Lyric and Duncan. Nice to meet you."

Lyric and Duncan reply, "Nice to meet you, too."

The Professor chats with them while they are led to a waiting room. Lyric sits down and flips through a PokeFashion magazine. Rowan comes back with a rolling cart carrying two Pokedexes, 10 Pokeballs, and 3 Pokemon - Piplup, Turtwig, and Chimchar. Piplup and Chimchar hop down. Piplup hurries over to Lyric and hops up on her lap. Chimchar, meanwhile, runs towards Duncan, eyes wild. Turtwig, on the other hand, sits stagnantly. Chimchar climbs up to Duncan's shoulder and sits. Piplup sits on Lyric's lap. Rowan then asks, "It looks like the Pokemon chose their trainers rather then the trainers chose their Pokemon!"

Lyric sits up, still holding Piplup, and tells Rowan that she wants Piplup. Duncan asks for Chimchar, and Rowan hands them their respective Pokeballs. He then gives each of them a Pokedex and 5 Pokeballs. Lyric thanks him and hurries out the door. Duncan stays back to ask Rowan a few questions. Still hugging Piplup, she runs back towards Jubilife City to show her mom.

In Jubilife City, Lyric dashes to her apartment, where her mom sits on the couch. "Mom! Look! I chose Piplup!" she shouts.

Lyric's mom jumps, and then turns around to Lyric. "Hello to you, too. Let me see your new Pokemon!" Lyric sits down on floor and lets Piplup out of her arms. Piplup looks at Lyric's mother and smiles. Next, it hops up on to the couch and lets her mother pet it. "It is very cute! I'm glad you were able to choose it. You two will go far!" she says.

Lyric smiles. "That's right, mom! Piplup and I are going to Floaroma Town, and then all around the Sinnoh region!"

"That's great, honey. I remember when I started my journey. I received my wonderful Igglybuff from the Professor." she replies. At the same moment, her mother's Wigglytuff comes out of the hall. "Well, anyway, honey, I have to go to work. Good luck on your journey, and call me frequently, please!"

Lyric shouts, "Of course, mom! Bye!", and heads out the building once more. She passes the Pokemon Center and Pokemart, and finds the exit towards Floaroma Town. With Piplup in her arms, Lyric heads down the path, as **_the journey continues!_**


	2. In Pursuit of Glameow

**Chapter 2: In Pursuit of Glameow!**

The sun shines brightly as Lyric and Piplup walk towards Floaroma Town. Many Pokemon such as Starly and Bidoof move around them, and trainers bustle and battle with each other. Suddenly, Lyric hears a loud rustling noise in the tall grass. "Piplup! Shh! Don't you hear that? I bet there's going to be a huge Pokemon in there!" she whispers. Piplup shudders at the thought of facing a large Pokemon in battle. The grass shakes, and the noise gets closer and closer.

A gray-and-white blur races in front of Lyric and Piplup. It dashes off, and then hides in some more tall grass. "Come on, Piplup! Let's go catch that Pokemon!" Lyric shouts, feeling very excited. She begins to run, but stops and turns around to look at Piplup, who is shaking and tearing up.

"Oh, Piplup. Are you afraid? I'm sorry. Look. I know that you don't like battling very much, but I believe in you. What ever this Pokemon is, I'm sure we can catch it, and then we'll have a new friend to journey with us! What do you say?" Lyric asks as she walks back and bends down to pet Piplup. Piplup stops shaking, letting Lyric pick him up. She then runs towards the Pokemon, still in the patch of tall grass.

Placing Piplup on the ground, she shouts, "Piplup! Use BubbleBeam on that shaking patch of grass!" Piplup hesitates, and then attacks the grass. A cat-like Pokemon leaps into the air and lands in front of Piplup.

"Wow, Piplup! Look, it's a wild Glameow!" Lyric shouts. "Now, use Peck to pin the end of its tail down to the ground!"

Piplup's beak begins to glow, and then Piplup lunges at Glameow. He pins the end of the Glameow's curly tail to the ground, remaining there for Lyric's next command. Before she can say anything, Glameow's tail begins to glow, and Piplup's eyes go wide in terror. Glameow pushes off of the ground, sending Piplup high into the air. Piplup shouts in fear, and the Glameow waits on the ground.

"Piplup! I got you! Calm down!" Lyric screams, extending her arms to catch the scared little penguin Pokemon. He lands in her arms, and she pulls him into a tight embrace. He hops out and diverts his attention to the Glameow.

"That's right, Piplup! Use BubbleBeam!" she yells. Piplup prepares the attack as Glameow prepares to use Shadow Claw. The bubbles fly towards Glameow, but it pops them all with its foreclaws. Lyric thinks hard about what to do next, when suddenly, a familiar voice is heard from behind her.

"Hey, Lyric! Long time no see!" Duncan calls, and the Glameow darts off. Lyric and Piplup become very mad.

"Duncan! I was battling a Pokemon! Why did you have to scare it?!" she explodes.

"Sorry, Lyric. I didn't know you were battling a Pokemon. When I caught my first Pokemon, it ran off, too, though." he replies, upset and fearful.

Lyric immediately returns to her neutral state, and asks, "You caught a Pokemon? It ran away, too? Which Pokemon?"

Duncan pulls out a Pokeball and opens it, revealing a green bud-shaped Pokemon. "It's a Budew," he says. "I was near Ravaged Path when it appeared. Chimchar tried to attack it, but it ran off into the woods. I had to chase it for an hour before I could battle again."

Lyric thinks for a moment, and begins to run off in the direction of the Glameow, screaming, "Thanks, Duncan, see you another time! Bye!"

Lyric's feet pound on the ground as Piplup hurries after her. Soon, Glameow's footprints appear, and Lyric follows them. Piplup dashes ahead of her, and discovers the Glameow. "Nice one, Piplup! Now let's catch this Glameow! Use BubbleBeam!" she shouts excitedly. Piplup attacks, landing a hit on Glameow. It jumps up, startled. It then extends its claws for a Scratch attack.

"Piplup, watch out! Dodge the Scratch attack, and use Peck!" she exclaims. Piplup follows the directions, and avoids Glameow by jumping into the sky. Glameow keeps moving, and looks nervously around for Piplup. Piplup descends from the sky and pins down Glameow's tail once more. The terrified cat Pokemon prepares an Iron Tail attack once more, but Lyric spins around and grabs a Pokeball.

"Go, Pokeball!" she shouts as she throws the capture device. A white light engulfs the cat Pokemon, and it is encapsulated in the Pokeball. The Pokeball sits on the ground.

_3... 2... 1... ... ...click!_

"All right, Piplup! We just caught a Glameow!" she shouts. "Now let's go to Floaroma Town!" The two hurry off. They must head through Ravaged Path, which scares Piplup, but they continue on, and finally arrive in the floral town. Lyric enters the Pokemon Center, and asks Nurse Joy to heal her Pokemon. She sits on a stool, looking out of the window.

Soon, a man wearing a lab coat walks past. He has brown hair, red glasses, and a blue briefcase in is hand. The Pokemon Center's door slides open, and the man walks towards the front desk. Lyric watches him, and then smiles.

"Daddy!" she shouts, as _**the journey continues!**_


	3. Trouble at the Windworks

**Chapter 3: Trouble at the Windworks**

Lyric runs towards her father, the man in the lab coat. He turns, smiles, and drops his briefcase. They hug for a few moments, and then he leads Lyric to a booth. Nurse Joy calls for her first, though, so she goes to retrieve her Pokemon. She returns, and her father is sitting with a menu. She sits down, and her father excitedly asks, "When did you get here? Where's your mother?"

"I only got here a few moments ago. Mom is still in Jubilife City, because I became a Pokemon trainer!" she replies.

"That's wonderful! What Pokemon did you choose? Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig?" he asks.

"I chose Piplup! And then I caught Glameow!" Lyric answers, pulling out their respective Pokeballs. She presses the buttons on each of them, and beams of red light change into Piplup and Glameow. Glameow hops up onto the table and lets Lyric's father pet her. Piplup is nervous, so Lyric lifts him up and sits him on her lap.

"Very cute, Lyric. Now, I have to get back to the Valley Windworks. Would you like to come?" he asks.

"Of course, dad!" Lyric responds quickly. She picks up Piplup, and Glameow follows on the ground. The four head out of Floaroma Town, chatting the way to the Windworks. At the Valley Windworks, turbines spin everywhere. Drifloon float past overhead, and a building appears behind some trees. Lyric's father scans a card on a card scanner, and the door clicks, allowing him to push it open. He holds the door open for Lyric, who walks in, still carrying Piplup.

"So, Lyric. Where do you plan to go next? What do you want to do on your journey?" he asks.

Lyric hesitates, looking puzzled. "I guess I have never really thought about that. I though journeys were just to catch Pokemon."

"No, Lyric. Journeys are for you to follow a dream, make friends, and discover yourself. You'll start that when you know where you're going." he says.

"Well, I guess I'll..." she pauses, pulls a map of the Sinnoh region out of her bag, and looks at it. She resumes, "Eterna City is the closest. I think I'll go there."

"Sounds good. Now what type of trainer do you want to become? Are you interested in Gym Battles? How about Contests?" he asks.

"Contests? Gym battles? Well, I know my Piplup well. Gym battles are probably not for us." she answers.

"So you want to participate in Contests? I heard there is going to be one in Eterna City in a few days. Perhaps you may want to enter."

Lyric thinks for a moment, and then looks down at Piplup and Glameow, who are now dancing and spinning around on the floor. "Contests sound good to me." she says at last.

"Wonderful. Now, I have some work to do, but before I go off, I want you to have this Pokemon." he says.

"A Pokemon?" she asks.

"Of course! You are a trainer, after all. I caught this Starly on the day you were born, and I have kept it for you ever since. Here you go. Now bye!" The man presents Lyric with a Pokeball.

"Thanks, dad! See you soon!" she calls as she exits the building. Outside, there is smoke billowing from the other side of the trees. Lyric, in shock, runs to find out what is happening. A large fire is blazing in the meadow, and many Pokemon are scurrying away.

"Oh no! Piplup! We have to do something!" she shouts. She pulls out Starly's Pokeball as well, and orders the two to use different moves. Piplup attacks the base of the fire with BubbleBeam, and Starly blows a powerful Gust at the top. Soon, the inferno subsides, leaving a scorched patch of flowers.

"What could have caused that?" Lyric asks. Piplup, Starly, and Glameow look around, and Glameow finds a piece of scrap metal. Lyric hurries over and picks it up. It reads _FUEGO IRONWORKS: FIRE STARTING KIT. DO NOT DROP!_. She figures that a trainer had dropped it and gotten scared, as a fire began to spread.

Lyric throws the scrap metal into her bag, and returns Starly and Glameow. Piplup hops into her arms.

She heads down the road to Eterna City while the sun begins to set, as _**the journey continues!**_


	4. Camping Fright

**Chapter 4: Camping Fright**  
_Thanks to Bluewolfbat for help/ideas! More chapters with them to come soon!_  


As the sun begins to set, Lyric and Piplup begin to grow tired. "I'm getting tired of walking all day, Piplup. Why don't we settle down and set up camp?" Lyric asks. She heads off of the path and takes out the tent supplies she needs. The clearing she sits in is nestled in the forest and against a large, brown, rocky hill. Piplup sits down, and Lyric begins to pull some of the tent rods together. Piplup gets bored, so he decides to go explore the area. First, he sees some bushes, and then he finds a berry tree. He struggles to reach them, so he decides to shake the tree. Instead of berries falling from it, a Cherubi does instead, and it scares Piplup.

"Pi! Pi! Piplup!" he shouts in terror as he tries to run back to the camp. Lyric is almost complete with the tent when Piplup barges in, tripping over a pebble and smashing into the tent. Poles snap and bend, and the tent collapses.

"Piplup!" Lyric shouts angrily, "I was almost done! Now I have to start all over!" Piplup feels embarrassed and ashamed, so he decides to sit in place. Lyric looks over at him.

"I'm sorry I shouted, Piplup. Why don't you go find some firewood?" she asks. Piplup nods and heads off into the brush once more. He sees a few sticks, and picks them up, and then he sees a large stick sticking out of the ground. It has three green circles at the end of it, and is very wide at the bottom. Piplup waltzes up to it and starts to pull. It doesn't budge, so he pulls harder. The ground begins to loosen, and the stick is pulled out.

"Bonsly!" the stick, which was actually a Pokemon, shouts. Piplup yelps, picks up the sticks that he gathered and takes off, heading straight back to the camp. He slows to a stop, and puts the sticks in the center of the clearing. Lyric turns around, and smiles. The tent is built, and the firewood is collected. Lyric pushes some rocks around the logs, and pulls out some matches. Striking one, the blaze casts shadows onto the rocky cliff. Piplup shouts and scurries into the tent. Lyric lights the fire and puts out the match. She then turns around and pulls the nervous Pokemon out of the tent.

"Why are you so nervous, little guy?" she asks. "You get so scared of everything!" Piplup nods, and pulls a large rock over to sit on. Lyric does the same, and she reaches into her bag and pulls out the package of snacks along with some Pokemon food. Next, she lets Glameow and Starly out as well, and the four eat. After Starly finishes, he ascends into the sky to fly around. Glameow curls up near the fire, and Piplup looks around.

The forest begins to sing softly, as Kricketot and Kricketune awaken. At first, Piplup is scared, but he lets it soak in. Starly flies back down, and his wings create a large gust. It startles Piplup, so he begins to attack the Pokemon with BubbleBeam. Glameow gets wet and pounces. "Guys, guys! Stop fighting!" Lyric helplessly shouts.

Starly claws at Glameow, who scratches Piplup. Piplup spins in circles firing BubbleBeam in all directions. He hits the fire, and it goes out. The three Pokemon stop in their tracks. Piplup becomes very scared and stumbles over to Lyric. Starly flies into the tent, and Glameow paws at the fire. "Look what you guys have done! Now we're all cold, wet, scared, and surrounded by darkness!" Lyric says. She puts the snacks away and pulls out the matches once more. She lights one, and tries to light the fire once more, in vain. "Ugh. I guess it's time for bed. Come on, Glameow."

Glameow hops into the tent with the other Pokemon, and Lyric crawls in after them. She gets in her sleeping bag after zipping the tent closed. Glameow lies at her feet, and Starly perches on a low-hanging pole. Piplup snuggles up in Lyric's arms.

The forest begins to sing once more. Lyric whispers, "Goodnight." to the Pokemon and they all doze off, as _**the journey continues!**_


	5. Battling Buneary

**Chapter 5: Battling Buneary**

Lyric opens up the tent as the sun begins to rise. Piplup comes out and stretches himself out, and Glameow and Starly follow. Lyric then pulls her bag out of the tent she was camping in and begins disassembling the tent. Piplup watches while the other two Pokemon look around the area. When Lyric finishes, she stands up and returns Glameow and Starly.

"Okay, Piplup! On to Eterna City and our first Pokemon Contest!" she exclaims. Piplup cheers, and she picks him up. The two depart the area, and head down the path. Trainers, young and old, battle one another, and some are battling wild Pokemon.

"Hey, Piplup?" Lyric asks. "Which Pokemon do you think we'll capture next? I'm hoping to catch a fire-type, but it doesn't look like fire-types are around here. Why don't we start to run? Maybe we'll find a fire-type Pokemon up ahead!" Piplup likes the idea, so Lyric begins to run. They travel past a house and some bug catchers until they are in a dark forest.

"This must be Eterna Forest. I heard that there are some Pokemon in Eterna Forest that cannot be found anywhere else in the world!" she says. Piplup shudders, examining the darkness around him.

Soon, a Chimchar hops out from behind a tree. "Look! A fire-type Chimchar! Let's catch it!" Lyric exclaims. She spins around and pulls out a Pokeball. She whips it as hard as she can at the Pokemon, when suddenly, Duncan walks out and is hit with the Pokeball.

"Ouch! Lyric? Why did you do that?" he yelps.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Duncan. I thought that your Chimchar was a wild Chimchar!" she replies.

"It's okay, Lyric. Well, anyway, I saw a cool Pokemon over that way. I was going to check it out, but I have to get to Eterna City for my gym battle with Gardenia." he says.

"Why don't I go find it! Bye, Duncan!" Lyric calls.

"See you soon!" he replies as he walks off.

Lyric is left in the forest with Piplup, looking nervous. She clutches him tightly, and stealthily walks in the direction the Duncan pointed. Soon, she sees a rustling bush in the distance. She creeps closer, and then sees a tuft of pink fluffy fur sticking out of the top. She pushes the brush apart, revealing a pink-and-brown Buneary.

The Buneary is startled by her, so it jumps up and stops in a clearing. "That's odd, Piplup. I thought Buneary were yellow-and-brown, not pink-and-brown. It must be a rare one. Let's catch it! Piplup use BubbleBeam!" Lyric shouts.

Piplup hesitates and uses BubbleBeam. The Buneary counters the attack with Ice Beam, and it breaks all of the bubbles, hitting Piplup and freezing him in a solid block of ice. "That's not fair, Buneary!" Lyric screams, but the Buneary runs off before Lyric can save Piplup.

"Glameow, come on out! I need you to unfreeze Piplup, please!" Lyric lets Glameow out and Glameow uses its Shadow Claw to break the ice. "Thank you, Glameow! Return!" Lyric calls as she re-encapsulates the cat Pokemon. Piplup sits on the ground confused.

"Come on, Piplup! Let's go catch that Pokemon!" Lyric shouts enthusiastically. Piplup stays in the same position, shaking and afraid.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Piplup. I didn't realize how scared you are. Here, let's get you warmed up." she says. Sitting down, Lyric pulls a blanket from her bag and uses it to wrap the cold little penguin Pokemon.

Piplup smiles, and then falls asleep. Lyric sits against a tree. She lets Glameow out to keep her company. Glameow sits on her lap, purring as Lyric pets her. Lyric begins to become drowzy, and nearly falls asleep. She eventually dozes off as clouds roll in and block out the sun.

Glameow hisses at the first raindrop to fall, as **_the journey continues!_**


	6. Piplup and the Ghost

**Chapter 6: Piplup and the Ghost  
**_Thanks to Bluewolfbat again for the story/ideas! More with them soon!_

More raindrops pound onto the ground. Glameow hisses and scratches at Lyric to wake her up. Soon enough, Lyric's eyes shoot wide open. "Oh my gosh! It's raining!"

Piplup wakes up as well, and Lyric scoops the two Pokemon up and runs. She sees a house behind a broken fence and some trees, so she hurries in the direction of it. Glameow continues to hiss at the rain, and Piplup begins to shout. Millions of raindrops pound down loudly, and Pokemon in the Eterna Forest run for cover. Lyric hops over the fence and barges through the door of the house, which looks old and run down.

She puts Piplup and Glameow on the ground, and turns around to close the door. However, it is already closed. The lights come on, and then they shut off. Piplup draws closer to Glameow, as they look around the room. Crooked paintings of scary Pokemon, bed sheets all over the room, and cobwebs hanging from every part of the ceiling are some of the things they see.

A few sounds can be heard in the room, and a door on the second floor balcony slams shut. Lyric cautiously steps forward and makes a floorboard creak. Piplup whimpers, and Glameow nervously follows. Lyric walks slowly to a door and pushes it open, revealing another room, where bed sheets cover sofas and beds. "How creepy." Lyric mutters to her self. Piplup hops up onto a bed and pulls the sheets around him to dry him off. Glameow and Lyric get onto another bed and do the same. They bury themselves under sheets, and eventually get stuck. Piplup finishes drying himself off when he looks across the room, only to see a tremendous white ghost-shaped blob on the other bed. He shrieks and runs out of the room.

"Piplup! Wait!" Lyric calls. Glameow escapes and follows after Piplup, and Lyric stands up, still covered in sheets. The three chase each other around until Piplup trips and is followed by Glameow and the Lyric-ghost.

Lyric finally flips the sheets off of her head, and Piplup is confused, and then settles down. Glameow hops out of the way, and Lyric says, "I'm sorry, Piplup. I didn't want to scare you, but I was stuck under all those sheets!"

Piplup nods and they hug. The three smile, but the lights go out again. Plates fly across the room, and doors slam open and closed.

Lyric shrieks in terror. Piplup grabs her arm tightly, and Glameow gets close to them as well. A chandelier dangling from the ceiling crashes down and lands near the three.

"What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?!" Lyric shouts, terrified. Glameow and Piplup hop into her arms as she tries to find the exit. A booming voice echoes around the building, causing the walls to shake.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! I WANT TO BE ALONE!" it shouts.

Lyric dashes towards the exit as fast as she can, dodging the flying plates that nearly skim her head. The door swings open, and she jumps out before it can close. The three land on a patch of grass. The rain has stopped, and the Eterna Forest is calm. Piplup is still shaken, but Glameow is fine. Lyric's heart is still racing at the speed of light, so she sits for a few moments.

Once she as recollected herself, she walks away from the Old Chateau. Piplup and Glameow follow closely. Soon enough, a bush in the distance is shaking. Lyric hurries to see what it is. As she gets closer, her heart begins to pound. The bush is a few feet away from her. She draws even nearer, and pulls the bush apart.

Behind the leaves is a pink-and-brown Buneary - the same one from before, as **_the journey continues!_**


	7. An Old Foe

**Chapter 7: An Old Foe**

The Buneary jumps up once more, startled. "Piplup! Let's go!" Lyric calls, excitedly, but the small penguin Pokemon begins to walk backwards in fear.

"Oh, I forgot you were afraid. Why not use you, Glameow? Use Iron Tail!" Lyric shouts. Glameow readies the attack, and springs into the air. The Buneary looks up, preparing to use Ice Beam. However, Glameow is fast enough, and the Iron Tail strikes Buneary on the top of its head. The Buneary is angered, so it begins to freeze the ground. Glameow lands on a sheet of solid ice, so it begins to slide around.

"Oh no! Glameow, use Shadow Claw on the ground! That way, you can send shards of ice at the Buneary!" Lyric exclaims. Glameow follows orders, and scrapes the ice towards the Buneary. Buneary jumps, and uses Bounce on the Glameow, causing Glameow to slide uncontrollably.

"Glameow! Be careful! Try to jump and use Iron Tail on the ice!" Lyric nervously commands. Glameow struggles to jump, and must wait to stop on grass. She spins around and around, getting dizzy and confused.

"Try to jump again, Glameow!" Lyric calls. Glameow tries again, but only in vain. She scuttles across the ice until her back claw catches a patch of grass.

"Good job, Glameow! Now use your tail to spring up and break the ice!" Glameow leans backwards and coils her tail. She lowers herself, and then blasts off into the air. Buneary looks nervously up at Glameow, whose tail is beginning to glow.

"Nice, Glameow! Now smash the ice and scratch Buneary! I'll find a Pokeball in my backpack!" Lyric shouts excitedly. She spins around and digs through her backpack. Glameow smashes the ice and a cloud of snow blasts in all directions. The Buneary falls over, and the Glameow lunges towards it. Claws extended, it pounces on to the Buneary, scratching it over and over again. The Buneary rolls away, and prepares a Dizzy Punch. It smacks Glameow, and Lyric looks up, holding a Pokeball. Glameow jumps into the air, letting Buneary slam onto the ground. It then uses Iron Tail and slams the Buneary one more time.

"Go, Pokeball! Let's capture this pink Buneary!" Lyric exclaims, tossing the Pokeball and watching it soar. It bounces off of the Buneary, encapsulating it in a brilliant white light. Glameow, Piplup, and Lyric all watch it, their hearts pounding.

_3... 2... 1... ... ...click!_

"Alright!" Lyric shouts. "We just caught a pink Buneary! Now all we have to do is get to Eterna City and win that Pokemon Contest! Piplup and Glameow jump up, and Lyric returns Glameow. Piplup jumps into her arms, and Lyric walks towards the city. Pokemon scurry about, and eventually, Lyric arrives on the other side of the Eterna Forest. She sees the big city on the horizon, and breaks into a run.

"Piplup! I see the city! We're almost there!" she exclaims. She crosses a bridge infested with fishermen, and stumbles through some tall grass. Soon, however, she makes it to the edge of the city, where she meets Duncan.

"Hey, Lyric! Long time no see! I heard there was going to be a contest, so I'm going to stay and watch. Will you watch it with me?" he asks.

"Watch it? I'm going to participate in it!" she says excitedly.

"No way! Now I can't wait to see the contest. See you later!" Duncan says as he strolls away. Lyric heads to the Pokemon Center and speaks with Nurse Joy.

"Hi, Nurse Joy! I was just wondering if I could sign up for the Eterna City Contest here!" she says.

"Of course! Now, here is your 6 Ball Capsules and some Seals. All I need now is your Pokedex." Nurse Joy responds.

"Okay, here you go!" Lyric says. She pulls out her Pokedex and hands it to Nurse Joy, who slides the Pokedex in a slot, and gives it back.

Lyric heads to the Contest Hall and registers. After heading into the green room, she attaches a Ball Capsule and Seals to Piplup's Pokeball. "Now, remember, Piplup, that you may be scared, but I want you to try your hardest, be brave, and perform. The goal is to make you look good, so just listen to my commands, and do well!" she says. She stands up and returns Piplup. She runs down the hall to the stage.

Marion, the Contest MC, announces the next performer. "And now, making her Contest Debut, it's Lyric, from Jubilife City!" The curtains part, as _**the journey continues!**_


	8. The Eterna Contest

**Chapter 8: The Eterna Contest**

The curtains part, revealing Lyric to a massive audience. Lyric heart is pounding as she grips Piplup's Pokeball tightly. The audience claps loudly, and Lyric begins her performance.

"Piplup! Spotlight!" she shouts. Piplup's Pokeball opens up and rainbow bubbles spread around the Contest Hall. The audience gasps, and Piplup emerges from the Pokeball, smiling. He lands on the ground, shocked at the immense amount of audience members are watching him. He stands on the ground, trembling.

"Piplup! Snap out of it! Use Peck on the bubbles!" Lyric cringes, nervously waiting for Piplup to make a move.

Piplup hesitates, and then jumps up. He hops on each bubble, uses Peck on it, and hops to the next one. Soon enough, a rainbow is formed across the Contest Hall. Piplup smiles as he twirls gently to the ground.

Lyric smiles in relief, and then makes her next command. "Piplup! Start spinning and using Peck! Then, switch from Peck to BubbleBeam!" she calls.

Piplup spins quickly making it appear that he is a wheel. A beam of white light emanates from him, which is his beak. The audience marvels at his performance by cheering, but it is not over yet. Piplup keeps spinning and uses BubbleBeam, making a circle of bubbles on the floor of the Contest Hall. He then rolls across the floor in a spiral, popping the bubbles, and making the audience go wild.

"Finish it with a pose!" Lyric shouts, and Piplup ends in the center of the Contest Hall, twirling on one flipper. The audience members stand up and explode with cheer. Lyric returns Piplup and runs off of the stage. Piplup cheers, and they sit down at a desk in the green room. A girl with long, blonde hair, a pink dress, yellow striped socks, and flats, walks up to Lyric and taps her on the shoulder.

"Nice job, out there! I was surprised that this is your first Contest. Most beginners do poorly in the Appeal Round, but you did better than me!" she says.

Lyric turns around. "Thanks! I was watching yours, too. Your Aipom looked amazing! How many ribbons do you have?" she asks.

"I have 3. By the way, my name is Joy. You're Lyric, right? Based on your performance, I think I'll be seeing you in the finals." Joy says.

Lyric watches her walk away, and then hears Marion's voice over the intercom.

"It is time to see who is going through to the Battle Round!" the MC says.

Lyric hurries over to the screen. Joy's head pops up, along with a few other contestants. Lyric is upset, but right before she walks away, her face pops up, too.

"Piplup! We did it!" she cries. Lyric hurries over to the penguin Pokemon, and sits down on the stool.

"Now we need Buneary, so we can make it to the finals!" Lyric announces. She attaches a Heart Seal to a Ball Capsule and slides it on to Buneary's Ball Capsule.

"Let's go!" Lyric exclaims. She stands up and heads out to the stage. Her opponent sends out a Cherubi, and the battle begins. Buneary begins by freezing the battlefield, causing the Cherubi to slide across the ground. The Cherubi then takes in light and used Solar Beam. It hits Buneary, but Buneary jumps and uses Ice Beam once more, creating a shield. The shield reflects the Solar Beam attack, and it damages Cherubi, causing the crowd to go wild. Then, Buneary breaks through the shield and uses Dizzy Punch. The Cherubi skids across the slick Contest Hall floor until it comes to a stop. It uses Ingrain to plant its roots. Buneary counters by creating a spiraling tower of ice, trapping the Cherubi. Cherubi slams the ice and breaks it, but Buneary uses Bounce and lands on the Cherubi, knocking it out.

Lyric runs off of the stage to see who is in the finals with her. Much to her surprise, it happens to be Joy. Joy comes up to her. "Good luck in the finals. My Magmar and I are planning on winning, though!" says Joy cheerfully. The two are ushered to opposing sides of the Contest Hall battlefield. Lyric's heart pounds as she prepares to battle. The timer starts, and Buneary hops out. Magmar enters the field, and it uses Earthquake. Buneary jumps, and freezes the cracks made by Magmar with Ice Beam.

"Nice one, Lyric!" Joy calls from the other side of the playing field. "But not as nice as this!" Magmar uses Fire Blast, burning Buneary. Buneary counters with Jump Kick, and it knocks the Magmar over. The fire Pokemon looks up at Buneary and sees it descending. It immediately uses Flamethrower in a straight line, but Lyric thinks on her feet. She spins in a circle, narrowly rotating around the beam of fire. Buneary uses Ice Beam, and freezes over the Magmar. Joy looks over at Lyric helplessly, but Lyric is too excited to lose. She orders Buneary to use Dizzy Punch, and the Magmar is knocked out.

Marion exclaims, "And that's it! Time is up and it looks like we have got a new winner on our hands! Give it up for Lyric and Buneary!"

Lyric looks around the Contest Hall. She spots Duncan in the stands with Chimchar, Budew, and a Burmy. All four of them are jumping up and down screaming. Mr. Contesta walks over to Lyric and hands her the green Eterna Ribbon.

"Alright! I got my first ribbon!" she exclaims. Joy high-fives her on the way out of the green room, and Lyric and Piplup are greeted outside by a man holding a bicycle.

"Hello, Lyric! I just saw you win on TV! Congratulations! Now that you're a celebrity, I want you to have my bike, so my shop stirs up more attention." he says.

"A celebrity?" Lyric asks, feeling confused.

"Of course, a celebrity! Practically the whole region is talking about you! Joy has never lost a Contest, and you beat her on your first try! That takes some serious talent! Well, anyway, here's your new bike. Goodbye!" he answers, handing her the purple bike and leaving.

Duncan comes by next. "Great job, Lyric! Now we both have bikes, so we can ride them down the Cycling Road! Let's go!" he says.

"Thanks, Duncan! Let's go!" she responds. They hop on their bikes and head down the Cycling Road, as _**the journey continues!**_


	9. The Cycling Road Catastrophe

**Chapter 9: The Cycling Road Catastrophe**

Lyric and Duncan pedal down the Cycling Road, zooming past other bikers and motorcyclists. Chimchar perches on Duncan's shoulder, while Piplup sits in Lyric's bicycle's basket. Wind blows through Lyric's hair, and Piplup relaxes back in his basket. Soon, the four come to a split in the Cycling Road. Duncan slows down to wait for Lyric, who is speeding down the road at top velocity.

She prepares to turn left at the split, so Duncan heads left as well. Suddenly, Lyric's bicycle hits a pebble and bumps Piplup a bit. The terrified little penguin Pokemon begins to wail and frantically kick around the bicycle bin. "Piplup! Stop that!" Lyric shouts as she pedals faster, inadvertently taking a sharp left.

"Lyric, watch out!" Duncan shouts helplessly, watching Lyric's bicycle slam into the wall of the Cycling Road.

She screams in terror as her bag rips off of her back and lands on the Cycling Road. Piplup is launched into the air, and Lyric follows. The two hurtle over the edge of the Cycling Road, followed by the remainder of Lyric's broken bicycle. The two tumble through the top of a large tree, prompting Starly and Staravia to fly out in fear.

Lyric catches Piplup in mid-air, hugging him closely. Three Pokeballs tumble after them, and Lyric slams on the ground. The three Pokeballs bounce off of Lyric's head and open up, revealing Starly, Buneary, and Glameow.

"Ouch." Lyric says, rubbing her forehead. "Where are we?" she asks.

"Lyric! Are you okay? I have you bag! Just walk south and we can meet in Oreburgh City!" Duncan calls from the Cycling Road.

"I think I'm okay! Just a little scratched up, but nothing major! See you in Oreburgh!" she replies with a shout.

Lyric diverts her attention to Piplup, who is sitting in her lap in shock. "It's okay, little guy. We're all safe. We just need to walk a bit, and we'll be okay. Now... which way is Oreburgh?" she asks, looking around at the forest she is lost in.

Lyric turns around for her bag, but remembers that it was left on the Cycling Road. "Oh, great. We're lost, have no food, and can't even figure out what direction we need to travel in!" she shouts. "This is all your fault, Piplup! You just _had_ to get scared by a pebble, and now we're stuck under a road, cold and confused, scratched up and tired! I'm so sick of us always getting in these situations because of you! I wish you would just _go away_!"

Piplup begins to cry, and slowly waddles away. Glameow cuddles up by the feet of Lyric, who is now beginning to sob. Starly nestles nearby, while Buneary watches Piplup leave. "Bun! Bun! Buneary! Buneary!" she cries, trying to call Piplup back. Piplup keeps walking, while Lyric begins to wipe her tears off of her cheeks.

"Wait, Piplup! I didn't mean that! I'm just tired and upset! Please come back!" she hollers.

Piplup stops, hesitates, and then turns back and begins to run to Lyric. Buneary steps out of the way, and Piplup hops onto Lyric's lap. "I'm sorry, Piplup! I never want you to leave me. You're my best friend." Lyric cries. Piplup perks up, hugs Lyric, and then taps her Poketch.

"That's right, Piplup! You're a genius! My Poketch has a GPS application! Thank you!" Lyric exclaims. She presses the scrolling button until a map appears. "Look, guys! Oreburgh is just south of us! Let's go!"

Lyric stands up, shoving the Pokeballs of Starly, Glameow, and Buneary in her back pocket. She looks around, and frowns. "Wait a second... Which direction is south?"

Starly begins to chirp loudly. Lyric looks down at him. "That's right, Starly! Fly up and try to find Oreburgh City!" The starling Pokemon flies past the canopy above them. It spots a few tall buildings, and approaches them. Soon, it sees a mine, and some minecarts.

"Star! Starly!" he shouts as he flies back to Lyric.

"Did you find the city?" she asks. Starly nods, and flies close to the ground in the direction of Oreburgh. Lyric picks up Piplup and Glameow, while Buneary begins to bounce in the path of Starly. Lyric dashes, too. Soon, the five come to a lake.

A line of bubbles moves around the water, and soon, a Lumineon jumps from the surface, shimmering in the sunlight, as _**the journey continues!**_


	10. To Swim or Not

**Chapter 10: To Swim or Not**  
Thanks_ to Bluewolfbat for ideas for this chapter! More ideas from them soon!_

The Lumineon splashes back into the water. "Look, guys! That's a rare Lumineon! Piplup! You are a water type, so I need you to dive in there and battle it! Go!" Lyric exclaims.

Piplup hobbles over to the water and dips his flipper in the water. He pulls back and cringes. "Come on, Piplup! Get in!" Lyric orders. Piplup closes his eyes and beak and jumps in. The Lumineon swiftly spins around and begins to swim in the direction of Piplup.

"Come on, Piplup! Use Peck!" Lyric nervously shouts. Piplup splashes around in the crystal blue water, struggling to breathe, and the Lumineon draws closer. Piplup anchors his flipper on a rock and catches his breath, frantically hyperventilating. Lumineon creates a torrent of water, covering Piplup, causing him to sink in the water.

"Uh-oh. What's wrong?" Lyric shouts. Buneary looks over at the water, Piplup, and then up at Lyric. Lyric is frozen in her tracks, and Piplup is sinking quickly. Buneary jumps up and freezes a patch of the lake.

"Buneary! What are you doing?" Lyric screams. The rabbit Pokemon ignores Lyric, and instead jumps onto the back of Lumineon. Lumineon sends a second torrent of water before it can react, and Buneary freezes the wave of rushing water into a wall. The Lumineon spins around ferociously, and knocks Buneary off onto the other side of the wall.

"Buneary! Get out of there!" Lyric screams, but instead, Starly flies towards Lumineon and attacks. Buneary swims down to the drowning Piplup and freezes another wall of water, causing the water to drain out of the corner of the lake that Piplup is stuck in. Meanwhile, Starly repeatedly attacks Lumineon with its Wing Attack. Piplup's flipper is stuck and Buneary tries to pull it to safety. Although the water has been drained by the ice wall, the ice is cracking and the water is beginning to drain back in. Glameow sees the danger and jumps into the dry part of the lake to help pull Piplup out.

"Guys! What are you doing?" Lyric helplessly cries. Suddenly, Piplup is freed, and the three Pokemon dash out of the lake, just as the ice walls collapse. Starly slams the Lumineon perpetually until the Lumineon swims away in fear.

"Thank goodness that you are alright, Piplup. Thank you, Buneary. Thank you, Starly, and thank you Glameow. I didn't know that you couldn't swim, Piplup. We better work on that if you want to catch water-type Pokemon. Let's go." Lyric says.

She runs off into the brush, and comes back with a blue sheet. "I saw it on the way here. Maybe you can practice swimming on this." Lyric suggests as she spreads the blanket out across the ground. Piplup nods, and the Pokemon cheer. Buneary, Starly, and Glameow sit at the edge of the blue sheet, while Piplup and Lyric sit in the middle.

Lyric lies Piplup down on his stomach, demonstrating how to move his flippers. "Just remember, move like this and hold your breath. When you need a break, come back up to the surface, inhale, and continue swimming. Try it by yourself!" Lyric says calmly. She backs away and off of the blanket, and Piplup closes his beak. Holding his breath, he slowly paddles through the air. Excited about his new accomplishment, he speeds up. With his flippers moving faster, he begins to pull the blanket out from under him, and soon, he finds himself under the blue sheet. The other Pokemon laugh, and Lyric pulls it off of him.

"Try again, Piplup." she smiles. "This time, maintain a constant speed. That way, you won't spin out of control."

Piplup moves his flippers again, rotating around, breathing air every few strokes. "Great, Piplup! Now you're ready for real swimming!" Lyric exclaims. She picks the small penguin Pokemon up and gently places him in the shallow water. Piplup gasps in fear, but sits down in it, acclimating himself to the water. Soon, he inhales deeply, and begins to rotate his flippers. Like a master, he propels himself across the lake over and over again, finally coming to the edge and hopping out of the lake.

The other Pokemon cheer, when Lyric looks into the sky. "Wow, guys. The sun is beginning to set. We had better start walking, so we can get to Oreburgh City before night falls." she says. She folds the blue blanket and leaves it next to lake. Starly flies ahead once more, and Buneary bounces after him. Lyric picks up Glameow and begins to walk.

Piplup stops to look at the lake. He sees a shimmer in the water, and the Lumineon swims by. Turning back to Lyric, he runs ahead, as **_the journey continues!_**


	11. A Mountain of Trouble

**Chapter 11: A Mountain of Trouble**

The sun begins to slip behind the hill that Oreburgh is dug into as Lyric approaches the city with her Pokemon. Glameow is asleep in Lyric's arms, while Starly is circling the city ahead. "Look, Piplup! We're almost there!" Lyric exclaims, as she breaks into a dash. Piplup stumbles behind her, while Buneary hops ahead of her. Soon, Lyric can make out the Pokemon Center, and runs down the slopes of the base of a massive mountain into the city.

The glass door of the Pokemon Center slides open as Piplup catches his breath. Lyric enters and looks around. It is very late, and the moon is high. "Nurse Joy?" Lyric asks.

"Yes, darling?" the woman replies.

"Did a boy named Duncan pass through here?" Lyric questions.

"Why, yes. He is actually down the hall. Is your name Lyric by any chance?" Nurse Joy asks.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Lyric." Lyric states.

"Duncan said that if you came, you could come into his room. Here's a spare key!" Nurse Joy pulls a fake metal Klefki key-ring. After selecting which key is needed, Nurse Joy pulls it off and hands it to Lyric.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" Lyric shouts. She heads down the hall and finds the room number that matches the key number. She shoves it in the lock and turns, opening the door.

"Hello, Duncan?" she asks.

"Hello, Lyric! You got here late." Duncan stands up and smiles.

"Yeah, I spent a lot of time teaching Piplup how to swim." she replies. Piplup looks embarrassed. "Do you have my bag?"

"Yep! Here it is!" Duncan answers, picking up a yellow bag and handing it to Lyric. Lyric grabs it and sits down on a stool. She returns Starly, Glameow, and Buneary and puts their Pokeballs away. "There is a second room connected to this one, if you want to stay the night."

"Sure, Duncan. Is it through that door?" Lyric asks.

"Yeah. I'm going to hit the hay. See you tomorrow!" he says.

"Goodnight." Lyric replies as she opens the door and walks in. A pink bed is in the center of the room. Lyric pulls up the covers and gets into bed, holding Piplup. They doze off...

* * *

...The next morning, Duncan knocks on Lyric's door. "Hey, Lyric! Good morning! I'm heading out. Do you want to come to Hearthome City with me?"

Lyric sits up. "Sure, Duncan! Give me a second!" she responds. Lyric hops out of bed, Picks up Piplup, pulls her bag onto her back and opens the door. "Let's go!"

Duncan and Lyric exit, dropping their keys off at the front desk. The glass door slides open again, revealing a bright day outside. The two, along with their Pokemon, head out of the city and enter a cave. "Where are we?" Lyric asks. Piplup shivers in fear of the darkness and strange noises.

"This is Mt. Coronet, the large mountain that divides the Sinnoh region in half. On the other side of this lies Hearthome City, and beyond that, many cities and towns lie. I heard that there is a Pokemon that looks different depending on what side of the mountain you find it on." he answers.

"Cool! So we are inside a mountain. Interesting. Right, Piplup?" she asks. Piplup shakes his head and pulls closer to Lyric.

Suddenly, a rock falls from the ceiling, and the ground rumbles underneath their feet. "It's a cave-in!" Duncan shouts. Lyric grabs Piplup and runs as fast as possible. Jumping over rocks and dust, Lyric screams, clutching Piplup. Duncan comes quickly behind her, but then trips. Lyric grabs his arm Chimchar climbs up onto her shoulder. "Duncan!" she cries.

Lyric pulls with all her strength and retrieves Duncan from the cave. They all fall out and down a hill until they stop at the edge of Hearthome City.

Lyric stands up, brushing dust off of her clothes. Duncan does the same, and Chimchar jumps back to Duncan. They walk into the city, and stop right before entering the Pokemon Center.

"Hey, Lyric?" Duncan asks. "I've been meaning to do this for a while, but..."

"What, Duncan?" Lyric asks.

"I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" he shouts, as _**the journey continues!**_


	12. Lyric v Duncan: Solutions & Evolutions

**Chapter 12: Lyric v. Duncan: Solutions and Evolutions**

"A Pokemon battle? With you? Of course! You are on!" Lyric exclaims excitedly. "What will the rules be?" she asks.

"I was thinking a two-on-two battle. What do you say?" Duncan responds.

"Let's do this!" Lyric shouts. Duncan backs up and sends his Budew out.

"Starly! I need you!" Lyric shouts, letting the starling Pokemon out. "Use Wing Attack!" Lyric calls. Starly flaps its wings, and they begin to glow. It zooms at the Budew, striking it with a powerful hit.

"Budew! Stay strong!" Duncan calls. "Now, use Solar Beam!" Budew opens its bud, and begins to collect the sunshine. A large, blinding orb is formed, and it blasts downwards at Starly. Starly is grazed by the attack, and flies upwards.

"Nice one, Starly! Now! Use Aerial Ace!" Lyric calls. Starly flies down at the Budew and attacks with Aerial Ace. The grass type Pokemon is knocked to the ground.

"Budew! Get up and use Razon Leaf!" Duncan shouts. The little Pokemon stands up and begins to shoot razor-sharp leaves at Starly. They hit Starly, knocking it out of the air.

"Starly! Be careful! Use Wing Attack again!" Lyric commands.

"Budew! Use Solar Beam!" Duncan orders. The two Pokemon attack at the same time. A large beam of light blasts at Starly, but Starly flies through the attack, taking damage, but also attack Budew. Suddenly, the two Pokemon collapse at the same time.

"Starly! Return! You did well." Lyric says.

"You, too, Budew! Nice work." The two Pokemon are safely returned, and then Duncan sends Chimchar out onto the battlefield.

"Piplup! Are you ready! It's time for you to battle against Chimchar!" Lyric exclaims. Piplup hesitates, but reluctantly steps out.

"Okay, Chimchar! Let's win this thing! Use Ember!" Duncan orders.

The fire type blasts small embers at Piplup, who is standing in fear.

"Piplup! Snap out of it! Use BubbleBeam to counter!" Lyric nervously commands. Piplup takes a moment to collect himself, but uses BubbleBeam. The bubbles collide with the embers, and the embers fizzle out. The bubbles continue, and they eventually hit Chimchar.

"Chimchar! Use Dig!" Duncan quickly shouts.

Chimchar immediately vanishes, leaving a hole in his place.

Lyric thinks for a moment, but then comes up with a master strategy. "Piplup! Use Peck on the ground!"

Piplup's beak extends and glows, and he attacks the ground repeatedly. Soon, Chimchar jumps from the ground, but only to be nailed by Piplup's beak.

"Now, Piplup! Use BubbleBeam into the hole!" Lyric calls. Piplup opens his beak and releases Bubbles into the hole. Chimchar is forced back down into it, and then pops out of the entry hole.

"Oh, no! Chimchar! Leap at Piplup and use Scratch!" Duncan orders. Chimchar lands on the ground, and springs towards Piplup. He prepares a Scratch attack, and scrapes Piplup's face.

"Piplup! Watch out!" Lyric calls. "Jump into the air and use Peck on Chimchar again!" Piplup obeys, and springs into the air, spinning. He dives to the ground with a glowing beak and attacks Chimchar with Peck.

"Now, let us finish this Chimchar off! Use BubbleBeam!" Piplup opens his beak a final time and blasts Chimchar back to Duncan.

Chimchar is knocked out. "Nice, Lyric! Chimchar, are you alright?" Duncan asks. Chimchar smiles, when suddenly, Piplup begins to glow.

"Piplup! Wha- What are you doing?" Lyric shouts.

Piplup begins to grow in size and shape, and then the blinding light subsides.

"Piplup! You evolved!" Lyric cries as _**the journey continues!**_


	13. A Race for the Win

**Chapter 13: A Race for the Win**

"Prinplup!" Prinplup cries as it stands up even taller than before.

"Wow! Prinplup! Nice!" Lyric exclaims as she runs over to the newly evolved Pokemon.

Duncan stands up after Chimchar is revived. "I have to say, I'm quite surprised! I had no that Piplup was so close to evolving. I guess that means I'm now behind." he says. Suddenly, Chimchar collapses. "I have to go. Bye!" Duncan runs off fearfully.

An electric billboard above Lyric and Piplup flashes, and the Sinnoh Contest MC, Marion, appears on the screen. "Hello, coordinators out there! It's me, Marion, with an important announcement regard the Hearthome Pokemon Contest that was scheduled to be in two days. Unfortunately, due to structural damage in the contest hall, the Hearthome City Pokemon Contest will be postponed. That means this year's contest schedule is of the following: Solaceon Town, then Veilstone, and then Snowpoint, followed by Hearthome, Pastoria, Canalave, and finally Lake Valor. More will be scheduled after that. We apologize for the inconvenience." the woman announces.

"That's a disappointment. I guess we're headed to Solaceon Town after all." Lyric says. Prinplup sighs and the two walk off towards the Solaceon Town.

While on the road, a dash of orange and white hurries by Lyric and Prinplup. "Prinplup! Look! Follow that flash!" Lyric calls as the two head off into the brush. They push through tall stalks of grass until they come to a clearing where a Ponyta is hurrying around in circles.

"Wow. A Ponyta! Ponyta is a fire type, which is one of my favorites! Let's catch it!" Lyric shouts. "Use BubbleBeam!"

Prinplup nods and opens his beak. He begins to fire large, rainbow bubbles at the fire type Pokemon. "Cool, Prinplup! Now that you have evolved, your bubbles are rainbow! What else can you do?" Lyric asks.

Prinplup waits a moment, and then turns a brilliant aqua blue. A funnel of water begins to form above him as he spins his wings in circles. "Is that a Whirlpool attack?" Lyric calls as she steps back. Prinplup hurtles the now massive whirlpool at the Ponyta, getting it trapped in the vortex. The terrified Ponyta hops up and stomps on Prinplup's face, knocking him over.

"Oh, no! The Ponyta got away!" Lyric nervously shouts. Prinplup gets up, while rubbing his head, and then takes off in the direction of the fleeing Ponyta. The blue penguin Pokemon chases after the Ponyta, which is trying to desperately run away.

Lyric dashes after them and shouts, "Prinplup, use Whirlpool to trap the Ponyta, and then Peck it from the bottom of the whirlpool!"

Prinplup nods and begins to glow aqua again. He whips his wings in circles as a massive whirlpool forms overhead. He throws it towards the Ponyta, and the Ponyta begins to get caught in the current.

"Prinplup! Now!" Lyric calls as Prinplup dives under the whirlpool. The Ponyta swirls to the center of it as Prinplup jumps, beak glowing. The Peck attack slams Ponyta from the bottom and the Whirlpool dissipates. Ponyta lays weakly on the ground.

Lyric spins around and roots around in her backpack. After retrieving an empty Pokeball, she hurls it at the fire type Pokemon. "Go, Pokeball!" she exclaims. The Pokeball opens up, engulfing the Pokemon in a white light. It clicks closed.

_1... 2... 3... ... Click!_

"All right, Prinplup! We just caught a Ponyta!" Lyric shouts. Prinplup jumps up and the two rejoice. "Okay. Now that we have a fifth Pokemon, we are so ready for the Solaceon Town Pokemon Contest!"

Lyric picks up her Pokeball and shoves it into her backpack. The two head off down the road as Solaceon City appears on the horizon.

"Wow, look, Prinplup! We are almost to Solaceon Town. Let's go!" Lyric says. The girl and the Pokemon run off into Solaceon Town, ****as **_the journey continues!_**


	14. Prepping for Power

**Chapter 14: Prepping for Power  
**_Thanks to Bluewolfbat for some ideas for this chapter!_

Lyric steps into Solaceon Town, where ranchers and Contest-goers bustle through the streets. Prinplup draws closer to Lyric as ranchers and farmers that run past them, followed by Miltank and Gogoat. Soon, the road opens up into a large square, where small shops dot the area. The Solaceon Town Contest Hall stands in the center of the square.

"Look, Prinplup! We're here! Let's register, and then I will find a quiet place to prepare for the Contest." Lyric says. She heads into the building where a desk clerk greets her.

"Hello. You must be Lyric. I saw you in the Eterna City Pokemon Contest." he says.

"I am! Thank you! I'd like to register for this contest, if that would be all right." she replies.

"Of course!" he answers, taking Lyric's Pokedex and sliding it into a machine. "All done! You are now registered. Good luck, Lyric!" He hands her Pokedex back, and Lyric spins around, accidentally bumping into someone.

"Whoa! Watch out, Lyric!" Duncan exclaims.

"Oh gosh, Duncan. I'm sorry." Lyric trembles.

"It's fine. I've had worse scrapes than a bump."

"Okay. Sorry. I have to go prepare for the contest. Would you like to come?" Lyric asks.

"Sure, Lyric." Duncan says. He follows the coordinator out of the Contest Hall. "You know, Lyric. My uncle has a ranch in Solaceon Town. Do you want to practice there?"

"Great! Of course! Thank you!" Lyric answers. Duncan grabs her arm and hurries off, dragging Lyric behind him. After cutting through crowds and Pokemon, they finally come to a clearing. "Thanks, Duncan. Let's come out, everybody!" Lyric shouts as she throws her Pokeballs into the air, allowing all of her Pokemon to come out.

Buneary hops out of the air and sits on the ground, and Glameow lies down next to Buneary. Starly flies above them, and Ponyta hops in circles excitedly. Prinplup stays by Lyric's side. "Okay, everyone. Tomorrow is the Solaceon Town Pokemon Contest, and we want to win! On the way to Solaceon, I thought very hard about which Pokemon I was going to use. I decided on using Prinplup in the appeal round again, as he now knows more moves. Now, for the battle round, I want to use Ponyta."

Ponyta jumps up even higher, and lands next to Lyric. "The rest of you can play with Duncan and his Pokemon."

Lyric leads Ponyta and Prinplup to the center of the field. They practice their appeal and battle moves with each other. Meanwhile, Duncan leads Lyric's other Pokemon to the shade of a tree, and lets his Pokemon out. "Go, Roselia, Gible, and Gligar!" he calls. His Pokeballs open up, and three Pokemon appear. The Pokemon run around, chasing each other. They play in the grass as Duncan watches his uncle pin up some laundry onto a clothesline.

Suddenly, Lyric screams. "Ponyta, come back! Where are you going?"

Ponyta dashes past the group of playing Pokemon and runs straight into the clothesline. Other Pokemon hurry over to see what happened, only to be covered with bedsheets and clothes. Ponyta skids to a stop, and then turns around, only to see seven ghost-like blobs rising from the carnage. The terrified Ponyta stops moving entirely as the bedsheet ghosts scamper around. Lyric and Prinplup run over, while Duncan and his uncle lift sheets off of the Pokemon. They work together to pin the sheets and clothes.

"Ponyta! Look what you did! I'm sorry, Mr. B." Lyric says apologetically.

The older man stands up. "Don't worry 'bout nothin', Lyric. My farm's been through way worse b'fore. The laundry is back on the line, and the Pokemon are good as well. You don't worry a thing!" he says.

"Okay, that's a relief. Come on, Ponyta. Come on everybody. Back into your Pokeballs!" Lyric says, pulling out four Pokeballs and returning the Pokemon. Duncan does the same, and they head inside. The sun sets from behind the window of Lyric's bedroom as she pulls up the covers and dozes off, as **_the journey continues!_**


	15. The Solaceon Contest

**Chapter 15: The Solaceon Contest**

The sun rises up as Duncan opens Lyric's bedroom door. "Come on, Lyric! The contest starts soon." he calls.

Lyric's eyes shoot wide open as she sits up. "I''m late!" she screams,picking up Prinplup. She shuts the door and changes into her clothes. After pulling her pendant on, Lyric opens the door and runs out of the ranch. Duncan hurries after her.

The Contest Hall doors open up, and Lyric heads into the building. She runs past the clerk and sits down in the green room. Sliding a ball capsule onto Ponyta's Pokeball and sticking a smoke seal on as well, Lyric catches her breath and returns Prinplup. Joy walks over to her.

"Hey, Lyric! Long time no see! It looks like today is the day when I get my revenge on you in the finals!" she says.

"Don't be so sure, Joy!" Lyric playfully responds.

Marion's head pops up on an overhead screen, and she announces that the contest is going to start. Lyric's head pops up as the first to appeal, so she grabs Prinplup's Pokeball and hurries off. "Good luck, Lyric!" Joy calls. Lyric bolts down the hall to the stage, and the curtains open.

"Go, Prinplup!" Lyric calls. Prinplup leaps out of its Pokeball surrounded by bubbles. "Prinplup! Let's do this! Spin and use BubbleBeam!" Lyric calls. Prinplup follows directions and spins, sending the multi-colored bubbles in all directions.

"Nice, Prinplup! Now use Whirlpool to gather all of the bubbles!" Lyric commands. Prinplup stands in the center of the stage, under the spinning circle of bubbles. He begins to glow aqua and whips his wings in a circular motion. A Whirpool forms above his head, and he throws it into the sky. The rainbow bubbles collect in it, popping. The Whirlpool absorbs the color from each bubble, and becomes a spiraling rainbow.

"Great, Prinplup! Finish it off with a Peck attack from the bottom of the Whirlpool!" Lyric shouts. Prinplup's beak begins to glow and extend, and it starts to spin. He leaps through the rainbow whirlpool, scattering the water, creating a rainbow cloud around him. Prinplup hovers in the air for a second as the crowd goes wild. Prinplup lands, and Lyric returns him. She heads back down the hall, and Joy comes down.

"Nice, Lyric!" Joy says as she heads on stage. Lyric smiles and heads back to the green room. She sits down and watches the competitors appeal for the next few minutes. Joy comes off and sits next to her, and the two watch the screen.

Marion's face pops up and she announces the winners. Both Lyric and Joy make it into the next round, and Lyric is once again up first, battling a girl named Elizabeth. Lyric runs to her side of the stage, and Elizabeth does the same. They let their Pokemon out. Ponyta hops out of the Pokeball surrounded by smoke, and it grins. Elizabeth lets a Gastrodon out. "Uh-oh, Ponyta. Gastrodon is super-effective against you. Be careful, and use Stomp!" Lyric nervously cries. Ponyta springs into the air and stomps on the pink and brown Pokemon.

Gastrodon squishes down onto the ground, and then uses Muddy Water, creating a slick battefield. Ponyta lands on the ground and slides around uncomfortably until Lyric gives it another command. "Use Flame Charge on the ground to dry the mud!"

Ponyta jumps into the air and begins to engulf itself in flames. However, before it can finish its attack, Gastrodon uses Mud Bomb, sending a massive blob of mud directly at Ponyta. It slams Ponyta in the side, sending the fire type Pokemon back to the ground. On the board above, Lyric's score declines."Try again, Ponyta!"

Ponyta does the same attack, and succesfully lands on the ground, drying the mud and allowing it to run around easily again. However, Gastrodon uses Mud Bomb again, and it not only harms Ponyta, but it also gets it stuck to the battlefield. The timer beeps above them, and the battle is over. Lyric looks up to see that Elizabeth won. "Oh, come on!" Lyric cries. She returns Ponyta and hurries off stage, wiping tears away from her eyes. Joy comes to greet her.

"I'm sorry, Lyric. You did well." she says.

Lyric looks up. "I know. It's okay. I just have to keep on trucking, and I'll win the next Pokemon Contest in Veilstone City for sure!" Prinplup walks up to her, and she puts his and Ponyta's Pokeballs back into her backpack. She then takes off and heads up the road to Solaceon Town.

Prinplup follows, as **_the journey continues!_**


	16. Moo Moo Master

**Chapter 16: Moo Moo Master**

Lyric stops at the top of a hill, followed by Prinplup. Noise from Solaceon Town behind her quiet down as she looks down into the valley below her. She sees many trainers with their Pokemon hurrying through the tall grass. Prinplup jumps up and pulls on Lyric's hand. She looks down at the penguin Pokemon. "What, Prinplup?"

Prinplup points with his opposite wing at a building in the valley.

"A building, huh? You want to go take a rest there? That's fine by me." Lyric responds to the Pokemon's tug. She walks down into the valley and approaches the building. Pink yellow and blue Pokemon play around it.

"Wow, Prinplup! Look at all of these Miltank!" she calls. Prinplup looks around, and some of the Miltank sit up and smile. Soon, Lyric comes to the main door of the building. A sign hangs over it.

'Cafe Cabin' it reads. Lyric pushes the door open and walks inside. Waitresses hurry around the cafe, delivering bottles of milk to thirsty customers.

A large crowd is gathered in the back of the restaurant. "What do you think that is, Prinplup?" Lyric asks. Prinplup shrugs, and they head over to the crowd. Lyric pushes through the crowd of people, and finally reaches the inside of it.

A tall man standing next to a Garchomp begins to shout to the crowd. "Greetings, Pokemon trainers. My name is Mitchell, and I am here to battle and beat any challenger that dares to face me!" The Garchomp growls. A boy walks up, followed by his Raichu.

"I will challenge you!" he calls. The tall man bends down to look at the boy.

"You're on." Mitchell says. The two head outside, followed by Lyric and a few other spectators. The boy sends his Raichu forward, and Mitchell's Garchomp steps into the battlefield as well. A waitress stands beside the two Pokemon.

"I'll be the referee." she says.

"You can have the first move!" Mitchell calls.

The boy nods and directs his Raichu to use Volt Tackle. The Pokemon begins to glow yellow, and then runs at the Garchomp.

"Garchomp! Jump and use Drill Run!" Mitchell calls in response. Garchomp jumps up and over the Raichu, landing on the ground behind it. Raichu stops and looks around, but the Garchomp begins to spin, and then directly hits the Raichu in the back, knocking it out.

"Raichu is unable to battle. Garchomp wins!" the waitress calls.

Mitchell shouts. "Let's make this interesting. This is now a two verse one battle. Call out another Pokemon, kid."

The kid returns his Raichu and lets a Roselia out in its place. "Roselia, use Ingrain!" he shouts.

The grass Pokemon plants its roots into the ground.

"Okay, Garchomp. Use Dig!" Mitchell calls. The Garchomp digs straight down, and then blasts through the ground under Roselia, snapping the Roselia's roots and sending it flying.

"Roselia is unable to battle," the waitress says. "Mitchell wins!"

Mitchell beams, and then taunts the boy. "You're so weak, I almost thought you were a Pokemon Contest Coordinator!"

"Wow, Prinplup. He's powerful." Lyric whispers.

Another challenger steps up. They battle quickly, and Mitchell's Garchomp wins again. This happens a few more times with other trainers, and then Mitchell begins to brag about being the greatest trainer in the region. Lyric watches as he battles a young girl. When she loses, he calls her wimpy, directing her to go join a wimpy Contest, causing her to run off crying.

"Oh no, he didn't!" Lyric aggressively whispers. She pulls out a Pokemon, and lets Buneary out of it. "Okay, you two. I'm fed up with watching that Mitchell bully everyone's Pokemon. I'm going to challenge him, and we're going to win. Buneary and Prinplup grin, and she returns Buneary.

"Hey, you! Mitchell! I challenge you!" Lyric angrily shouts as she stands up.

"Oh, another weak challenger? Come at me." he replies smugly.

Spectators gasp as she approaches with Prinplup by her side.

"You can have the first move, girl." he calls condescendingly.

"Sounds good to me." she replies. Prinplup let's go. Jump up and use Bubblebeam!"

Prinplup listens and follows commands, but the Garchomp dodges.

"Garchomp! Use Dragon Pulse!" Mitchell shouts. The Garchomp looks down and begins to form a ball of purple light. "Go!" Mitchell calls, and the Pokemon blasts the attack directly at Prinplup, knocking it out of the sky. "See, everyone? This girl can't even land an attack."

"Prinplup is unable to battle. Garchomp wins." the waitress announces.

Lyric returns Prinplup, heart pounding with fear. She thinks to herself. "_Every challenger does the same thing. They use a move that misses, and then they are pummeled. I think I need to change my style up... but how?_" She looks up at Mitchell, who is looking at the battlefield. On his coat, there are seven pins. "_Of course! He participates in Gym Battles - not Contests! If I use my Contest strategies, I'll be sure to catch him off guard!_"

"Buneary, let's go!" she shouts.

"Oh, another weakling?" Mitchell shouts at her.

"My Buneary is not weak at all. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Now, Buneary jump up and flip while using Ice Beam!"

Buneary leaps into the air, somersaulting. She begins to use Ice Beam, creating a wheel of ice around her body.

The spectators gasp, and Mitchell is caught off guard. "Um, Garchomp! Use X-Scissor!" he calls. The Garchomp leaps into the air after Buneary and slices the wheel of ice. It shatters, blinding the Garchomp, allowing Buneary to continue to somersault down to the ground safely.

"Perfect, Buneary!" Lyric exclaims. "Now, freeze the ground before Garchomp can land!"

Buneary blasts the grass and dirt with another Ice Beam, and the whole battlefield freezes. Garchomp lands and slips, flopping over.

"Garchomp! Get up and use Dragon Pulse on Buneary!"

Garchomp picks up itself and blasts a Dragon Pulse at Buneary.

"Buneary, create a wall of ice to break the blast!" Lyric calls.

Buneary follows, creating a tall wall of ice. The Dragon Pulse hits the wall, shattering it. However, Buneary is nowhere to be seen.

"What?" Mitchell asks. "Uh... Garchomp, use Drill Run on the remaining part of the wall?"

Garchomp begins to run at the wall, but Lyric shouts too quickly. "Now, Buneary! Use Dizzy Punch!"

Buneary comes out from the sky and smacks Garchomp back onto the ice with its ears. Garchomp's face breaks through the ice.

The waitress gasps. "Garchomp is unable to battle! Lyric is the winner!"

Mitchell screams. "No! That's not fair! I'm the greatest!"

Lyric beams, and then lets Prinplup out of his Pokeball. She heads away from the building.

Mitchell hurries after her and stops her, Prinplup, and Buneary, in their tracks. "Please stop." he says. "I want to learn your strategy, so I can become as good as a trainer like you."

Lyric replies with a smile. "I thought you said that you didn't like Coordinators." She walks away.

"You're a coordinator? Your Contest strategy beat my Garchomp?" he asks, stupefied.

Lyric nods and then runs off, as **_the journey continues!_**


	17. Training a Novice

**Chapter 17: Training a Novice**

Lyric, followed by Prinplup and Buneary walks up a hill and looks down into a city. "Wow, Prinplup! Look! We're already in Veilstone City! Pokemon Contest, here we come!" She picks up Buneary and dashes down the hill. Prinplup waddles after her, and they arrive in the heart of the city. After taking a left down a path to a park, Lyric comes across a huge meteor.

"Wow, Prinplup! Look at that meteor!" Prinplup and Buneary smile.

Lyric looks around at the grassy park they are in. "You know what, guys? This is the perfect place to practice for tomorrow's Contest!" she says. She lets Starly, Glameow, and Ponyta out of their Pokeballs. The Pokemon begin to play around when Mitchell walks into the clearing.

"Hey, you! I followed you here to learn how to be in a Contest!" he calls.

Lyric turns around, startled. "Oh, hello, Mitchell. I'm Lyric, by the way. Um, if you want to learn to be in a Contest, why don't we just battle? I'll teach you during the battle how to make your Pokemon look good. Just let two of them out and we can go for it."

Mitchell nods and lets out Garchomp and an Ursaring. "Okay!" he shouts.

Lyric calls Starly and Glameow over to the battlefield. They all prepare to battle when Duncan walks into the clearing. "Hey, Lyric! What's up? Long time no see!"

Lyric waves and smiles. Duncan comes between Mitchell and her. "It looks like you two are about to battle, huh? I'll referee!"

"Sounds great, Duncan!" Lyric happily responds.

Mitchell gets restless and interrupts. "Okay! Okay! Whatever! Just start the battle already!"

"Calm down, Mitchell. I'll have the first move. Glameow! Use Play Rough!"

Glameow leaps into the air, and then looks into Garchomp's eyes. She lunges forth, creating a cloud of pink dust around the two Pokemon.

Mitchell gasps. "Are you going to attack my Pokemon just like that?"

Lyric shakes her head in response. "That's basic stuff. My goal is to make Glameow look good no matter what happens. Watch this! Iron Tail!"

A curly-tail shaped glow appears in the cloud of pink dust. Glameow swings its tail around, gathering the dust in the curls. It soon contains the full cloud packed into the space of her tail, and then she slams it down on Garchomp's head. A spiral shape of pink dust engulfs the two Pokemon. Duncan and Mitchell are impressed.

Lyric calls to Mitchell. "Okay, Mitchell! You have command of the battle now! Try to find a way to make Garchomp look good as he recoils from Glameow's attack."

Mitchell is hopelessly confused as to what to do, so he asks for a suggestion.

Lyric examines Garchomp's situation. "Try to use a spinning move and leap into the air. That way, the spiral will clear, and Garchomp will have the opportunity to attack while still looking cool.

Mitchell nods, commanding Garchomp to spin and use X-Scizzor. Garchomp leaps into the air, sending the pink dust off of the battlefield. He points down at Glameow and lunges at her.

"Okay, Glameow. Finish this off with a Shadow Claw to the ground." Lyric says calmly. Mitchell is puzzled, not knowing why Lyric is attacking the ground, not Garchomp. Glameow scratches the ground with her now purple claws, and then points it at Garchomp.

Garchomp comes in for the landing, but collides with Glameow. Glameow leaps into the air, and Garchomp falls into the hole Glameow dug. Glameow gracefully lands on the knocked-out Pokemon, and Duncan announces the winner. "Garchomp is unable to battle! Lyric and Glameow win!"

Mitchell returns Garchomp and comes over to Lyric. "That was an interesting battle. I think I'm going to register for tomorrow's contest." he says.

"That's a great idea. I'm registering tomorrow, so I'll just go to the Pokemon Center and rest up." she replies. Lyric scoops up her Pokemon and heads off of the path into the city. She slips into the Pokemon Center, gets a room key, and heads down the hall.

After changing into her pajamas, Lyric gets into bed and dozes off, as **_the journey continues!_**


	18. The Veilstone Contest

**Chapter 18: The Veilstone Contest**

Lyric sits up in bed to see Glameow looking out of the window solemnly. "What's wrong, Glameow?"

Glameow turns Lyric and looks at the floor, pawing at the windowsill.

"Come on, tell me what's wrong." Lyric repeats.

Glameow hops over to the bed and crawls up next to Lyric. She reaches to the side table and manages to grab a hold of Lyric's backpack with her claws. Carefully pulling the pack over to the bed, Glameow searches through the pack to find Lyric's ribbon case.

"My ribbon case? Is this about today's contest?"

Glameow nods and faintly smiles. "What about it?" Lyric asks.

Glameow pulls out Lyric's Pokeballs. First, the catty Pokemon points at Prinplup's Pokeball. She moves her paw from the Pokeball to point at the Eterna ribbon. Then Glameow points at Buneary's Pokeball, again moving her paw over to the ribbon.

"Glameow, of course! You haven't participated in a contest yet!"

Glameow nods excitedly. "Do you want to be in this one today?" The cat Pokemon nods again, smiling. "Okay, sounds good! You can be in the battle round, and Starly will appeal." Lyric says. She moves her bag to the foot of the bed, and then changes into her day clothes. Swinging her backpack on, Lyric picks up Glameow and wake Prinplup. She grabs the room key and heads outside. Prinplup follows. Returning the key, Lyric exits the Pokemon Center and runs to the Contest Hall. She registers and heads off to the green room, where she finds Mitchell and Joy.

"Hey, you two!" she calls. The two spin around and smile. "Good luck today." she says and heads off to an empty seat. Placing Glameow down and letting Starly out, she slides ball capsules and Seals on their Pokeballs.

Marion, the MC, announces over the intercom. "Now announcing the order of appeals. Contest begins in five minutes." A buzz of excitement flows around the room. "Okay. First, we have Jeremiah, then Sal, and then Dina, then Lyric, then Mitchell, then Phil, then Joy, and lastly, Freddie. Good luck!"

Coordinators line up in order. Lyric hops into the fourth slot, holding Starly's Pokeball. Jeremiah heads out on stage. He comes back, and Sal and Dina do the same. Lyric's heart pounds as she hurries down the hall to the stage. She stops behind the curtain as Marion announces her. "And now, the girl who won it all in Eterna, Lyric from Jubilife City!" The curtains part, and the audience goes wild. Lyric steps into the center of the stage and lets Starly out.

A rainbow circle of light eminates from Starly's Pokeball, and then Starly breaks through it smoothly. "Starly, use Aerial Ace on the rainbow!"

Starly nods, and then attacks the rainbow light. It explodes, inadvertently blinding Starly. "Oh, no! Starly!"

The audience quiets and leans off of the edge of their seats. Starly falls straight to the ground, flapping frantically.

Lyric cringes. "Uh, Starly! Use Gust in any direction!"

Starly gains control of itself and uses Gust. However, the attack is aimed upwards, forcing Starly down even faster than before. "Starly! Use Wing Attack and let yourself fall!"

The audience becomes terrified as Starly rapidly approaches the stage. Its wings glow, and suddenly, it makes contact with the ground. A large sphere of white light engulfs the crash zone, and it begins to glow and expand. The audience gasps, when suddenly, a Staravia flies out of the light.

Marion shouts with enthusiasm. "Wow! It looks like Starly just evolved!"

Lyric pulls out her Pokedex and points it at Staravia. It shows her Staravia's moves. "Staravia! Use Brave Bird to draw a star in the sky and then land on my arm!"

The audience cheers with exuberance as Staravia forms a bright blue star in the sky, then gracefully lands on Lyric's right arm. The crowd explodes with excitement as Lyric returns Staravia and runs off of the stage. Mitchell and Joy meet her in the green room. "Wow, Lyric, that was close! How did you know how to make Starly evolve in the middle of your performance?" Joy asks.

"I didn't! Starly just started to fall so I told it to do random attacks." Lyric says. She heads back to her table and lets Staravia and Glameow out of their respective Pokeballs.

"Okay, Staravia. That was, well, unexpected. Sorry about the seal trouble." Staravia smiles and extends its wing to Lyric, patting her on the head.

"Glameow, if we make it to the battle rounds, it's up to you to win this Contest." she continues. Glameow nods in agreement, and the intercom buzzes on again.

Marion begins to speak. "What an interesting competition we have here, from transforming Pokemon to evolving Pokemon! Now we are going to be showing the next round's competitors. Here we go. Jeremiah, Lyric, Mitchell, and Joy. Good luck!"

Many coordinators exit the hall glumly. Joy and Mitchell hurry over to Lyric. "It looks like all three of us are in the semi-finals!" Mitchell says excitedly.

Joy looks at him. "Don't get too excited, Mitchell. This is your first contest. No one ever wins their first contest."

Lyric laughs and responds to Joy. "I won my first contest, and it was against you!" Joy blushes.

"What I'm saying is that Lyric and I are both pretty experienced Coordinators. I'm not sure about the other contestant, but I know that he was in the Canalave Contest last month. You've barely trained - you have gym badges. I think that you need to stick to what your good at." Joy says.

"Cut him some slack, Joy. I battled him yesterday. He has a chance." Lyric remarks.

Joy rolls her eyes. "Sure."

Marion's voice buzzes up again. "The battles will begin in one minute. It will be Lyric versus Jeremiah and Mitchell versus Joy." Joy looks over at Mitchell and smiles.

"Good luck!"

Lyric returns Glameow and hurries to the hallway. She and Jeremiah run down it together. "Good luck, Jeremiah." She says.

"You, too." he responds. They arrive in their spots, and the battle begins.

"Come on out! Dragonair!" he shouts. His Pokeball opens, creating a cloud of smoke. A blue, serpent-like Pokemon slithers out of the cloud.

"You, too, Glameow! Spotlight!" Lyric cries. Glameow's Pokeball opens up, summoning blue yarn all over the battlefield. Glameow spins out of the ball of yarn, causing it to fizzle out. The Dragonair's smoke dissipates.

"Okay, Glameow! Play Rough and Iron Tail, like yesterday!"

Glameow jumps up and looks at Dragonair. It gets close to the dragon Pokemon, creating a cloud of pink dust. Glameow harnesses the dust in her Iron Tail, and slams Dragonair's head.

Jeremiah gasps. Dragonair slowly gets up. It looks at Glameow. Jeremiah shouts, "Use Headbutt!"

Dragonair lunges towards Glameow. "Glameow! Use Iron Tail again and catch Dragonair with it!"

Glameow readies the attack, and when Dragonair arrives close enough, Glameow points its tail at the foe. Dragonair's head slides into the curly tail, and Glameow proceeds to twirl its tail. Dragonair flies out of the lock and is shot into the sky. It crashes down, leaving a deep hole in the battlefield.

"And, time!" Marion calls! "The winner of this battle is... Lyric!" Lyric returns Glameow and runs off of the stage. She pops into the green room to see the results of the other battle.

"Wow, Glameow! Mitchell won with his Machoke."

Mitchell comes to her. "Yeah, I did! We're in the finals, and I'm super-effective against normal Pokemon like your Glameow!"

Lyric turns around. "Type-sets don't automatically decide battles, Mitchell! I vow that I will win!"

The two run out onto the battlefield again, and they let their respective Pokemon out. Mitchell begins. "Machoke! Use Bulk Up!"

Machoke glows brown, and then grows a tiny bit.

"Glameow! Scratch at the ground and dig a few holes!"

Glameow nods and begins to dig, creating around twenty holes across the battlefield.

"Now, Machoke, use Low Kick!" Machoke swings its foot at Glameow, but Glameow jumps just in time. Machoke places its foot in a hole and crashes to the ground.

"Glameow! Play Rough and then Shadow Claw!" Glameow creates a cloud of pink dust and engulfs Machoke. It then leaps up and prepares a Shadow Claw.

"Machoke! Mach Punch it back!" Mitchell calls. Machoke's arm emerges from the cloud and attempts to deflect the Shadow Claw. Glameow pierces through and scrapes Machoke. It gets knocked out.

"But how?!" Mitchell cries.

"Fighting moves don't work on Ghost moves!" Lyric calls. She accepts the ribbon and heads offstage. In the green room, she gathers her stuff and prepares to leave when Joy and Mitchell stop her.

"Wait, Lyric!" they call.

Lyric turns around. Joy says, "Great job out there. You were right about Mitchell."

Mitchell nods, but then says, "But Joy was right, too. In our last battle, I was stressed out of my mind. I think I'll stick to what I'm good at, and maybe in the future we'll see each other again. I have to go. It was great to meet you, and I learned a lot. Take this to remember me by." He reaches his hand into his back pocket and pulls out a necklace with a fancy crest on it. "I'm actually from Camphrier Town in the Kalos Region. If you ever happen to get there, you'll always be welcome in Shabboneau Castle."

"Wow, Mitchell. Thanks. Maybe one day I'll see you again. Where are you headed off to?" she asks.

Mitchell smiles. "Well, I have seven of the eight badges from Sinnoh. I plan to collect the eight, but rather than heading off to the Sinnoh League, I plan to head home. I still only have one badge from Kalos. Well, bye." He heads out of the hall.

Joy says, "Well, he was an interesting character. I guess it's just you and me, again. I'll see you in Pastoria, correct?"

Lyric smiles. "Of course, Joy. You're my rival now, and we couldn't be rivals if we didn't compete! I'll see you in Pastoria City soon. Bye!" Lyric turns and exits the Contest Hall. She places Mitchell's crest around her neck, and heads down the road, as **_the journey continues!_**


	19. Besting a Bully

**Chapter 19: Besting a Bully**

Lyric heads out of town, but is stopped by Duncan. "Lyric! Great job in the Contest!"

"Thanks, Duncan." she replies. She lets Prinplup out of his Pokeball, and Duncan lets his newly-evolved Monferno out as well. The two Pokemon play around, when someone from behind calls out Duncan's name.

"Well, well. If it isn't Dopey Duncan? Back so soon from Twinleaf Town?"

Lyric spins around, and Duncan looks at the ground, and then turns to meet eyes with the other person. "What do you want, Doug?" he asks solemnly.

Doug looks down upon him. "I don't want anything, you idiot. You're the one that came back to face the facts."

Lyric looks at the two, puzzled. "What facts?" she asks.

"Oh, is this your dopey farm-girl girlfriend from western Sinnoh?"

Lyric angrily shouts back. "I am not his girlfriend, you jerk! Go pick on someone your own size!"

Doug smiles creepily. "She's a feisty one, too!"

Duncan turns away. "Duncan!" Lyric asks. "Why aren't you doing anything?"

Duncan mutters, "It's no use, Lyric. He's relentless. That's why I moved to Twinleaf Town."

Lyric turns to Doug, face turning red with anger. "You forced Duncan out of town? Do your parents know about this?"

Doug shakes his head. "They live by Lake Valor, so I can't get in trouble. No one can reach them, as they don't have a phone. The only way to get to them is to head to the resort and tell them directly, which no one would dare to do."

Lyric looks at her Poketch. "Oh yeah? I dare! I'm going down there right now! Come on, Duncan!"

Duncan and Lyric head down the path out of the city with Prinplup and Monferno. Doug begins to get nervous. "Wait! Don't actually tell them! They'll kill me! Stop!" he cries.

Lyric waves at him, and then grabs Duncan's hand, pulling him along with her as she breaks into a run. They hurry through the trees and pass many Staravia and Seviper. Doug hurries after them. Many trainers try to challenge Lyric, but she refuses in order to get to the Lakefront Resort. Doug finally catches up to the two. "All right, you twerps. I'll battle the girl. If you lose, you can't go to my parent's cottage. If you win, do what you please.

Duncan looks down. "It's no use, Lyric. He'll just crush us and then he can just keep bullying me like he always does."

Lyric looks at him. "Duncan, I don't know what he did to you in the past, but I will assure you that as your friend, I'm not going to let anyone bully you. Doug, let's battle."

Doug lets his Turtwig out of its Pokeball. Lyric looks at the Pokemon, and then lets Ponyta out. "Turtwig! Use Razor Leaf!" he calls.

Ponyta! Dodge that and use Low Kick on Turtwig!" Ponyta side-steps the charging Turtwig, and then knocks the turtle Pokemon on his side with her hind legs.

"Nice, Ponyta. Use Flare Blitz." Ponyta begins to glow, and then sends a fiery blast of heat at Turtwig. Turtwig passes out. "It looks like I won, so we'll be on our way."

Doug mouth drops into a gape. "How? What? That's not fair! Now I'm going to be in trouble, and it's all your fault!"

Lyric looks at him angrily. "It's your fault, Doug. Duncan is my best friend, and I will stand up for him. No matter what, you should have never been mean to him in the first place. Come on, Duncan. Let's get out of here." Lyric and her Pokemon follow Duncan, who is now happy, down the path. They continue for a while when they finally arrive in the Valor Lakefront Resort. Doug shows them the cottage in which his parents live, and they all head inside.

"Hello, Miss." Lyric says cheerfully.

Doug's mother smiles. "What brings you three here today?"

Lyric begins. "So, this is Duncan. Duncan and I started our Pokemon journeys together back in Sandgem Town, and we made it together all the way here. However, I learned that your son, Doug, bullied Duncan until he moved out of Veilstone City and over to Twinleaf Town, which is near Sandgem Town."

Doug's mother becomes cross. "Doug! I told you to stop being a bully! I guess the presents we got you for your birthday are going to someone else."

Doug blushes and starts to repeat "Sorry!" over and over again.

Doug's father comes out of another room. "We got these two Pokemon eggs for you, Doug, but instead, we'll be giving them to Lyric and Duncan."

"Thank you, sir." Duncan and Lyric say together.

Doug's mother sees them out of the cottage. Duncan puts his egg in his backpack, thanks Lyric, and heads off to Pastoria City.

Lyric does the same, as **_the journey continues!_**


	20. Footsteps in the Sand

Before I begin this chapter, I would just like to mention a few things. A few of the previous chapters, as noted in them, were written with help from _Bluewolfbat_. As of now, I'm guessing that our collaboration for this story is pretty much over, but that isn't definite. On a related note, if anyone else has ideas for this story, please PM me! Finally, after this chapter, there are only 11 chapters of this story scheduled to be written. However, this does not mean that Lyric is going with the story - like I said in a previous chapter, Lyric, Duncan and Emily (from my Kalos story) will eventually meet up for another, separate story! By the way, this chapter is going to be a little less action-packed than the others, as Lyric will be looking back on the progress she has made.

* * *

**Chapter 20: Footsteps in the Sand**

Lyric casually hops down the steps of the Lakefront Resort. As the sun begins to set, Lyric decides to stop on the beach for the night, so Prinplup sits down. Ponyta hops around excitedly, and Lyric lets Glameow, Buneary, and Staravia out of their Pokeballs. Glameow curls up by Lyric's feet as Lyric slides her tent supplies out of her backpack. Buneary decides to hop off over to Ponyta, and the two begin to play. Staravia flies over to Prinplup, and they play with each other.

Lyric slowly assembles the tent. "Hey, Prinplup? Do you think you and Staravia could go find some firewood?" Prinplup nods, and the two Pokemon head off down the beach. "Ponyta? Buneary? Would you mind heading over to those bushes? I think that there might be some berries on them." Ponyta and Buneary head off. Glameow purrs, and remains by Lyric's foot.

Lyric finishes the tent contsruction and gathers some rocks into a circle. Prinplup and Staravia return with firewood, and they spread it in the circle. Ponyta and Buneary come back as well, and they bear berries. Lyric piles the berries up and then has Ponyta light the firewood.

All of the Pokemon look up at the now darkening sky. "It's been a while since we last slept outdoors, huh, Prinplup?"

Prinplup nods. Lyric lies down with Glameow on her stomach. "I remember the last time we were in a tent. We didn't have Ponyta, yet, so I had to use matches to light the firewood. Oh, and you, Prinplup, before you evolved, remember how you were too afraid to go into the woods alone?"

Prinplup blushes. "It's amazing, you guys. We're so far from home. I never thought I would ever make it past Floaroma Town, but look at us now. We're on the other side of Mt. Coronet, looking at the same stars as we did back in Floaroma Town."

The Pokemon smile and remember their times before Lyric's adventure.

"Thanks to you guys, I'm here right now. I have two ribbons under my belt, and I have the bestest friends one could ever ask for. I've learned so much from you all, and you have learned from me."

Prinplup sits up and points at the ocean. "That's right, Prinplup! After we all crashed into the brush, we found that Lumineon and we worked together to teach you how to swim!"

Buneary, Glameow, and Staravia giggle at the memory of Piplup getting caught under the blue sheet.

"We've done some amazing things since I left Jubilife City, and we still only have so much to do! There's a Contest tomorrow, and then after that, I know that there will be on in Hearthome, Celestic, and Snowpoint. We just need to get three of those ribbons, and then it's off to the Grand Festival in Sunyshore City." Lyric pauses.

"I don't know what we'll do after the Grand Festival, though. We'll have seen almost all of the Sinnoh Region, and win or lose, we aren't going to participate in Sinnoh Contests again. Going home wouldn't be the best thing either, though. I want to see the whole world and meet all kinds of Pokemon! Of course, if I were to catch them, they would be transferred out, because I already have five Pokemon and an egg. I would have to leave some of you home."

Lyric's Pokemon nod. "But I couldn't just randomly choose! I have had so many experiences with all of you! Prinplup, you've been there by my side this whole journey! Glameow, you were my first caught Pokemon! Buneary, you won our first contest! Staravia, you were a gift to me from my father, and you evolved in the Veilstone Contest! Ponyta, you defended my best friend! How could I ever choose?"

The Pokemon look around at one another, and then begin to speak. "You're right, you guys! I could just swap you out every time I come back to the Sinnoh region!"

A small glowing blue Pokemon floats through the ocean past Lyric and the Pokemon. "Look, guys! It's a Phione - they bring good luck to trainers and Pokemon alike!"

The Pokemon rejoice and watch Phione float away. When she disappears, the Pokemon and Lyric fall asleep, as **_the journey continues!_**


	21. The Pastoria Contest

**Chapter 21: The Pastoria Contest**

Lyric sits up in her tent, surrounded by her Pokemon, which are all still asleep. She smiles, and then looks at each Pokemon individually. "Okay, we have Prinplup, Ponyta, Buneary, Staravia, and Glameow. Now, in my backpack, I have the - wait." Lyric says. She opens her backpack and digs around in it. "Where is my Pokemon egg?" she cries.

The other Pokemon wake up and begin to frantically search the tent for it. Lyric opens the tent and looks outside, where she finds a small green and blue slug-like Pokemon surrounded by broken shells. "Hello, there." Lyric says as she crawls slowly from the tent. "I've never seen a Pokemon like you before. What's your name?"/

The Pokemon turns around and smiles. "She- Shellos!"

Lyric is confused. "I thought Shellos were pink and white, like the ones near Jubilife City!"

She pulls out her Pokedex and scans the Shellos. "Shellos, the Sea Slug Pokemon. Shellos's shape and color varies depending on where it lives. Two different varieties have been confirmed in the Sinnoh region." it announces.

"Wow, Shellos! You must be the Pokemon Duncan was talking about when we were heading through Mt. Coronet!" Lyric says. She taps the Pokeball on Shellos's head, returning it, when her Poketch recieves a message.

"Speaking of Duncan, here he is now!" she says.

"Lyric!" Duncan says over the Poketch phone. "The Pastoria Contest is starting in forty-five minutes, so they're closing the registration in ten! Hurry over to Pastoria!"

Lyric nearly faints as she says yes, but then hurriedly packs up the tent, returns her Pokemon, and runs off. She sprints down the southern coast of Sinnoh as she passes a single house and some large cliffs. Finally, she comes to the Contest Hall, which is located right next to the Safari Zone. Pushing through swaths of trainers, Lyric reaches the front desk, managed by the city's Nurse Joy.

"Excuse me, but is it too late to register for the contest?" Lyric asks.

Nurse Joy smiles. "You're just on time. Give me your Pokedex!"

Lyric presents her Pokedex. Nurse Joy registers her, and gives the machine back. "You're all set, Lyric. Today's Contest is water themed. If you have any water-types, you should use those Pokemon to be successful."

Lyric turns and runs off. "Thanks, Nurse Joy!"

After arriving in the green room, Lyric lets Prinplup and Shellos out of their Pokeballs. "Okay, you two. Today's Contest is water-themed, so I was told to use water types. Seeing as you two are my only water types, it's only natural that I choose you. Shellos, we're about to do an appeal. That means all you have to do is look cute in the water and with your moves."

Lyric scans Shellos again for her moves. "Hmm... It says you know Mud Bomb, Rain Dance, and Scald. Interesting. When we get out there, just do what I say and you'll be fine!"

Lyric attaches seals to two ball capsules, and then attaches the ball capsules to Prinplup and Shellos's Pokeballs. After a while, Marion's voice comes up on an intercom. "Okay, Coordinators! The Contest begins in five. Lyric is up first!"

Lyric smiles. "We can do this, Shellos." She returns Shellos and hurries off to the hall leading to the stage.

After a few minutes, Marion's voice comes from the stage. "Hello, and welcome to the Pastoria City Pokemon Contest! I'm your MC, Marion, and I'm so glad to be here! Our judges today are a very special panel! We have Mr. Contesta! Mr. Sukizo! Pastoria City's Nurse Joy! And as an added bonus, Pastoria City's own gym leader, Crasher Wake!"

The audience claps excitedly. "Okay, folks! As you all know, the first part of our contests is the Appeal Round, where Pokemon use their moves to bring out their best! With out further ado, please welcome our first coordinator! She's talented, she has two ribbons, and she is Lyric, from Jubilife City!"

The curtains part, and Lyric runs out onstage. "Shellos! Spotlight!" she cries. Lyric looks down at the stage. It is a large swimming pool of water.

Shellos's Pokeball opens up, and blue and green streamers explode out of it. Shellos appears high in the air, and she lands gracefully on a white circle floating in the pool.

"Nice, Shellos! Now blast the circle with your Scald attack!"

Shellos looks down at the circle, and then forces boiling water down on it. Steam encircles the pool, and Shellos rises from it, spinning.

"Wow, Shellos! You're great at this! Now use Rain Dance while still in the air!"

Shellos jumps from the pillar of boiling water and then begins to spin and twirl. Eventually, a light drizzle begins to fall.

"Now finish it off with Mud Bomb!"

Shellos shoots a Mud Bomb into the air. It explodes, creating a swirl of brown mud in the air. The drizzle catches on it, and the mud disappears, leaving a swirl of water in the air. Shellos lands on the circle and the water lands in the pool. The audience goes wild.

Marion begins to announce. "Wow! That's a spectacular performance by Lyric and her Shellos!"

Lyric beams, returns Shellos, and runs offstage. Joy is there to greet her. "Hey, Lyric! Long time no see!"

Lyric replies. "You're in this contest too?"

Joy blushes. "Well, actually I'm taking a break. I have four of my five ribbons, so I decided I might as well train for another contest later. That way, I'll be super prepared!"

Lyric nods. "That's a good idea! Which contest will you be in next?"

Joy looks at her Poketch. "I've been training for a Double Performance, like the one in Hearthome City."

"Double Performance?" Lyric asks.

"Yeah, you know! When two Pokemon participate together in a contest."

"That's so cool!" Lyric says. She waves, and heads back to her place in the green room. Prinplup sits on the table.

Marion's voice comes up again a short while later. "That was a spectacular Appeal Round! Unfortunately, some coordinators will not be going through. The coordinators that are moving on are the following: Lyric, Sal, Pablo, and Beck! Congratulations!"

Lyric rejoices. "Okay, Prinplup. It says on that screen that we are going to be battling Pablo, and then the winner of that will battle either Beck or Sal!"

She returns Prinplup and heads out onstage. "Prinplup! Spotlight!" she cries. Prinplup's Pokeball explodes, revealing bubbles surrounding Prinplup, which pop. Pablo sends out his Krabby. It has no seal, and it scuttles on the white circle given to it.

Pablo shouts. "Krabby! Use Harden!" The Krabby begins to shine silver.

"Okay! Prinplup!" Lyric shouts. "Use Whirlpool at the pool!"

Prinplup creates a massive whirlpool in the pool, causing Krabby's white circle to be pulled out from under it. Krabby frantically flails its pincers, but it gets sucked to the bottom of the whirlpool.

Pablo becomes agitated. "Krabby! Get ahold of yourself and use Protect!"

Krabby stops panicking and creates a rainbow bubble around itself, stopping the Whirlpool in the pool.

"Uh-oh, Prinplup! Use Peck and spin on the Krabby!"

Prinplup jumps from the water and begins to spin rapidly until three beams of silver light come off of it and it rams into the Krabby. The Protect bursts. Marion shouts, "Wow! A perfect Drill Peck!"

Lyric steps back. "Drill Peck? That's a new move."

Marion continues. "And time! Lyric wins!"

Lyric runs offstage and heads back to the green room. After five minutes, she is called out to the stage again, where she faces Beck and his Lumineon.

Lyric sends Prinplup out. "Prinplup - look. It's a Lumineon. We battled on back near Oreburgh, so I think we might have the advantage. Use Whirlpool like before, but bigger!"

Prinplup creates a massive whirlpool, sending water out of the pool. Both Pokemon inadvertently get caught in it, and they swirl around uncontrollably.

Beck shouts over the crowd. "Lumineon! Use Water Gun at Prinplup!"

"Prinplup! Counter with BubbleBeam!"

The two Pokemon blast their water attacks at each other. They collide, and the whirlpool fills up with bubbles. "Prinplup!" Lyric calls. "Swim to the bottom without Lumineon seeing you, and use Drill Peck on the center of the whirlpool!"

Prinplup disappears under the bubbles, and Lumineon continues to spin around the whirlpool, looking for Prinplup. Suddenly, Prinplup smashed from the center of the whirlpool. The water goes in all directions, and Lumineon is send out of the pool onto the dry stage. Prinplup spins and lands in the now-empty pool.

"Lumineon is unable to battle! Lyric and Prinplup win, and they receive the Pastoria Ribbon!" Marion calls.

Lyric returns Prinplup and accepts the ribbon. She sees Duncan and Joy in the audience clapping and rejoicing.

She exits the Contest Hall and heads down the road, as _**the journey continues!**_


	22. Melodies and Magic

**Chapter 22: Melodies and Magic**

Lyric steps carefully through the swampy path on the western side of Pastoria. Small Pokemon scuttle and crawl across the marsh, as Lyric rolls her jeans up. Soon, she finds herself in the middle of nowhere, and her Poketch receives no signal.

"Uh-oh. Uh, I think I might need some help. Staravia! Come on out!" Lyric says. Staravia flies from her Pokeball and circles around Lyric, coming to a stop on a rock nearby.

"Okay, Staravia. I think I'm lost. I know that there is a mansion nearby that usually allows visitors in, but I don't know which direction. If we can make it to the mansion, we will be able to make it to Hearthome City on time. Can you fly up?"

Staravia nods and flies up into the air. It flaps its wings and heads off to the right, and then returns. Lyric follows it, and they eventually arrive in a clearing, where a large gate opens up into a beautiful garden. "Thanks, Staravia." Lyric says as she returns the Pokemon.

Lyric walks through the gate, and then sees a mansion. After knocking on the door a few times, it slowly opens, revealing a short man in a suit smiling. "Hello, young lady! Welcome to the Backlot Estate! I'm Mr. Backlot, and I'll be pleased to -" he stops. "Well who do we have here? If it isn't that charming little girl from the Pokemon Contests, Lyric! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

Lyric smiles. "Thank you! Nice to meet you!"

Mr. Backlot enthusiastically rambles on until he shows her to a room. "If you'd like, you can stay the night. Dinner is in an hour, and tomorrow, breakfast will be served at seven."

Lyric nods. "I would love to stay here for the night. I 'ought to be rested for tomorrow's contest."

Mr. Backlot eagerly responds, "Ah, yes, the Double Performance, one of my favorite contests all year!"

Lyric is taken aback. "Oh, no. You're right! I need to train right away! Can I use your front yard?"

Mr. Backlot replies, "Why use a front lawn when you can use my trophy garden? It's in the back."

Lyric jumps with glee. "Thanks, sir!" She throws some of her stuff on the bed and heads to the back door, exiting the building into a large expanse of grassy terrain.

"Come on out, everyone!" She tosses her Pokeballs into the air, letting Prinplup, Buneary, Glameow, Staravia, Ponyta, and Shellos out onto the field.

"Okay, you guys. Tomorrow is a double performance in Hearthome City, and that means that you guys will have to work together to win! Each of you should chose a partner, and then create an appeal together. I'll come around to judge the appeals."

The Pokemon rejoice, and immediately hurry off to find partners. Prinplup and Staravia partner up, as well as Shellos and Ponyta, and Buneary and Glameow.

Lyric sits down in the grass near Prinplup and Shellos. The two Pokemon get to work, figuring out ways to use each other's moves with themselves. Finally, the two settle on having Prinplup carry Staravia up into the air with his BubbleBeam. Lyric gets up to go watch the others. After a while, Prinplup calls her over.

"Okay, you two. Let's see what you've got." Lyric says. Prinplup blasts his BubbleBeam at Staravia, who gets her wings wet. She starts a Wing Attack around Prinplup, but then falls to the ground.

"Staravia! Are you okay?" Lyric cries. She hurries over to the hurt Pokemon and returns her. "I think that's enough for you two. Maybe next time, but for now, I think you guys can stay out of this contest." Prinplup nods.

Soon, Ponyta ushers Lyric to watch their performance. Ponyta sends Shellos flying into the air. Shellos spins gracefully, and creates a Mud Bomb. It falls quickly, but Shellos lands on it first. The bomb bursts, sending mud right at Ponyta. Ponyta uses Flame Charge on the wall of mud, creating a beautiful pattern in the now-dry cake of dirt. Shellos lands on Ponyta's nose. "Wow, you two. Great job. Let me go see Buneary and Glameow's now."

Lyric gets up and sits down next to Glameow and Buneary. Buneary begins to spin, creating a wheel of ice around her. Glameow jumps on the ice and spins in circles, as if she is skating. Suddenly, Glameow uses Play Rough on the ice, creating a large star-shaped blast of pink on the inside of the ice wheel. Buneary jumps out and smashes the wheel, creating small shards of pink ice flying in all directions. "That was great, you guys. While I was watching, I got to thinking that that Magic Ice would be a cool battle combo. I'll have Ponyta and Shellos appeal with their routine, so I want to work with you two to perfect your battle strategy."

Buneary and Glameow rejoice, and then prepare for training. Ponyta and Shellos go off to play with Prinplup, who is messing around in a berry bush.

"I was just wondering, you guys, what else you can do with the ice. Maybe we can create something with the ice, and then have Glameow use it!"

Buneary nods, and then creates a rectangular box made of ice with cylinders lying across it. "I don't get it, Buneary." Lyric says doubtfully.

Glameow jumps up onto the box and hits one of the cylinders with her claws. It plays a note. Lyric is shocked. "Wow! You - you made an ice xylophone!"

Glameow hops around on the ice, playing a scale. "We could use this to distract our opponent, and then slam them!"

Glameow decides to act it out, playing the xylophone, then smashing the ice with a Shadow Claw. The ice gets caught in the shadowy aura of Glameow's claw, and then Glameow scratches at a rock. The rock freezes with a purplish tint, and Buneary uses Dizzy Punch, making the ice crack in a spiral.

"That's amazing, you guys! We'll be sure to win this contest now that we have an Ice Melody attack!" Lyric says.

Suddenly, a man's voice shouts over a tree. Lyric hurries over, and sees Mr. Backlot corned by a wild Munchlax. "Buneary, Glameow! Use Magic Ice!" Lyric cries. Buneary creates a wheel, and then Glameow makes a star in the center. The two smash it, directing the pink shards of ice at Munchlax.

"Perfect, you two!"

Mr. Backlot comes over to Lyric. "Thank you for saving my life. If there is anything I can do to thank you after tonight, please let me know!"

Lyric smiles, and returns her Pokemon. The two head inside and have dinner.

Lyric decides to head off to bed, as **_the journey continues!_**


	23. The Hearthome Contest

**Chapter 23: The Hearthome Contest**

Lyric wakes up as she smells delicious Pokemon Crepes. She sits up and changes, and then hurries off to the dining room, where she, Mr. Backlot, his wife, and his son have breakfast.

Once they are finished, Mr. Backlot stands up. "I'm off to Hearthome for the contest today in our car. Lyric, I could drive you if that is convenient."

"Thanks, Mr. Backlot! That would be great!"

Lyric stands up and follows him to a garage. They hop in a red car, driven by another man, and it speeds off to Hearthome City.

The car stops by the entrance to the Contest Plaza. Lyric and Mr. Backlot get out of the car. "Okay, Lyric. I'm headed off to my private box. If you need anything after the contest, meet me in the gate of Amity Square. Good luck!"

Lyric waves to him and goes into the hall. After registering with Nurse Joy, Lyric heads to the right and into the green room. She sits down and lets Ponyta and Shellos out. "Okay, you two. When the contest starts, I'm counting on you two to do a routine. I probably won't give you directions unless something goes wrong."

Marion's voice pops up. "What a great appeal by Joy! Next, we have a talented contestant, Lyric, from Jubilife City!"

Lyric stands up, returning Ponyta and Shellos. "Let's go!"

She hurries down the hall and sees Joy. They high-five, and then Lyric appears onstage. "Okay, you two! Spotlight!"

Ponyta's Pokeball opens with flames going everywhere. Shellos opens next, using bubble seals to but the fire out. Ponyta crouches as Shellos tumbles down to behind Ponyta's hind legs. Ponyta kicks up with Low Kick, sending Shellos high into the air. Shellos uses Mud Bomb, and Ponyta uses Flare Blitz without moving. The bomb comes down and explodes on Ponyta. The audience gasps as the excess mud subsides, revealing Ponyta with mud-armor surrounding it, as it had drowned. Ponyta spins, and catches Shellos on her head. The two Pokemon rejoice, and the audience explodes with excitement. Lyric returns the two and runs offstage as Marion begins to announce.

"What a spectacular performance and appeal round! Thank you to all of the coordinators! In a moment, we will announce the semi-finalists!"

Lyric stops running as she approaches the screen. On it, her face pops up first. Lyric walks over to her stuff, letting Buneary and Glameow out. "Okay, you two. It looks like we're battling Joy first. Let's go!"

Lyric runs out onstage again, and sees Joy on the opposite side of the battlefield. "Hey, Joy! Are you ready?"

Joy nods, and the battle clock begins to countdown.

"Buneary! Glameow! Spotlight!" Lyric cries. She sends Buneary and Glameow out, and they stop gracefully on the ground. Joy sends out two Gible.

Marion is surprised. "Wow! A pair of Gible twins!"

Joy orders the Gible to attack. One jumps in the air, while the other somersaults across the floor. They both aim for Buneary.

"Buneary! Freeze the ground!" Lyric commands. Buneary uses Ice Beam on the battlefield, and the somersaulting Gible skids backwards. "Glameow! Use Scratch on the other one!" Glameow jumps up and extends its claws, scraping the Gible's fin. Both Gible are struck backwards.

Joy freezes. "Wow, Lyric! You've been working hard, but don't be so sure that you'll win! Both Gible! Use Dig!"

Lyric pauses. "Don't counter, you two! She's trying to waste our turn so she can attack again. Get on to the ice and stick together!"

Glameow and Buneary slide to the center of the ice and embrace. The Gible smash up from below, but are sent down because of the solid ice. They regroup back where they began.

"Okay! Now, use the Magic Ice combo!"

Buneary begins to spin, and uses Ice Beam in the circle. The Ice Beam begins to collect, forming a wheel of ice around her. Glameow hops up onto the ice and uses Play Rough, creating a cloud of pink dust in the center of the wheel around Buneary. Buneary uses Dizzy Punch while spinning, causing the pink dust to turn to a swirl. Glameow shatters the ice, creating shards of pink ice shooting at the Gible. Both Gible are knocked out.

Marion jumps up. "Gible and Gible are both unable to battle! Lyric wins!"

Joy smiles. "Nice, Lyric. I underestimated you. I guess I still have to participate in another contest!"

They both return their Pokemon and head offstage. Lyric continues. "I have a feeling that it will take me a while to get to Celestic Town for the next contest, so I'll get a lead now. Thanks for that battle. Good luck in the finals!"

Lyric smiles. "Thanks, Joy! See you in Celestic."

Soon, Marion announces the finalists, Dina and Lyric. Lyric hurries off to the stage once more, and the battle begins. Lyric sends out Buneary and Glameow, and Dina sends out a Skorupi and a Croagunk.

"Okay, Buneary! Let's finish this off quickly! Make the xylophone!"

Marion starts to announce. "A xylophone? This is a new one! Let's see what it does!"

Dina's Pokemon watch in confusion as Buneary forms the ice box and the hollow cylinders. Glameow hops on top of the box. It dances around, and the opponents begin to dance, too.

Lyric giggles. "Well that was unexpected."

Dina interrupts. "You fools! Both of you use Poison Sting!"

The two Pokemon snap out of their trance and use Poison Sting, blasting one of the cylinders to bits. Glameow pounces.

"Get ahold of yourself and use Shadow Claw, Glameow!"

Glameow remembers the strategy, creating a Shadow Claw and smashing the xylophone's base. The base's shards pierce Croagunk, and it faints.

Marion reports. "Croagunk is unable to battle!"

Dina returns Croagunk as the ice cylinders that did not break roll at Skorupi.

"Buneary! Use Dizzy Punch on Skorupi!" Lyric calls. Buneary jumps into the air and nails Skorupi. It twirls about and steps on the rolling ice. After twirling around a bit more, Skorupi collapses, and Lyric returns the two.

She accepts the Hearthome Ribbon and exits the hall.

After seeing a sign pointing to Amity Square, Lyric turns left, as **_the journey continues!_**


	24. Flying with Fear

**Chapter 24: Flying with Fear**

Lyric turns the corner as she bumps into a familiar face. "Hello, again, Mr. Backlot!"

"Why hello, Lyric! It's so nice to see you after that great contest! Are you headed to Celestic Town next?" Mr. Backlot asks.

"As a matter of fact, yes! I just don't know how I'll ever get there by tomorrow."

Mr. Backlot pauses and tries to think of a solution. "I know! I have a nice jet you can take. It will land in Celestic by tonight if you leave soon. Just take this and head to the airport."

Lyric nods, thanks him, and hurries to the Hearthome Regional Airport. Signs advertise non-stop flights to and from Jubilife City and Canalave City that go south of Mt. Coronet rather than north of it. She sees a sign for private jets, and heads through the entryway. After showing an attendant her pass, she boards a small private jet and finds a relaxing cabin all to herself. The plane soon takes off, and she looks out of the window.

Lyric sends her Pokemon out, and they all hurry to the windows.

Lyric looks out at the scenery, too.

On one side of the plane shows all of western Sinnoh, from the Great Marsh to the Cafe Cabin near Solaceon Town. The other side shows the towering Mt. Coronet, with its peak hidden above the cloud. Lyric looks to either side of it, and sees a massive city to the south. "That must be Jubilife City, guys!"

Soon, the plane encounters some turbulence, and Prinplup freaks out. He runs to the center of the cabin, lying down and closing his eyes.

The other Pokemon gather around him, and Lyric hurries to his head. "Prinplup, it's alright. There was just a low-flying cloud that we went through. You're safe now."

Prinplup continues to shut his eyes. Ponyta pulls a blanket over him with her mouth, but can't seem to pull it over his flippers.

"Thanks, Ponyta."

Prinplup curls up under the blanket, trembling. Glameow curls up next to him while Buneary tries to reach a bottle of water of a high shelf. Staravia flies up and grabs it, and then drops it by accident on Buneary. The water rips open, dousing Buneary. Shellos slides over and sucks up the water. She then heads back to Prinplup and douses him instead.

Prinplup sits up, angered, and tries to chase after Shellos, who runs to the window. Prinplup looks out of the window and pauses.

"See, Prinplup? It's alright!"

Prinplup nods, but then the plane's window that Shellos is stuck to flips open, and Shellos gets stuck to the outside of the plane.

"Shellos! No! Be careful! Prinplup! I need you to grab her - you have the longest wings!"

Prinplup nods and tries to grab Shellos in vain.

"Come on! Reach!" Lyric cries. Prinplup struggles again, but then begins to glow. He grows and grows until suddenly, the white light vanishes, revealing an Empoleon.

"Prinplup! You evolved!"

Empoleon pushes his arm out of the window and grabs Shellos. He shuts the window and all of the Pokemon rejoice. The captain comes from the cockpit. "Hello, everyone. The assistant pilot is going to land us in a few moments. Please return your Pokemon and buckle up. Thank you for riding the Backlot Enterprise Private Jet. Goodbye, now!"

Lyric returns all of her Pokemon, and sits down in the chair. The plane lands, and she hops out and heads to the Pokemon Center.

After receiving a room key from Nurse Joy, Lyric heads to her room and gets into bed, as **_the journey continues!_**


	25. The Celestic Contest

So this Chapter was finished yesterday, but unfortunately, my internet stopped and I lost this chapter and chapter 26. Therefore, I had to rewrite these two chapters. However, this version is much better than last night's, so I'm happy. Chapter 26 is entitled "The Snowpoint Contest", when in reality half of it won't even be related to the contest. Chapter 27 will finish the contest. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 25: The Celestic Contest**

Lyric gets out of bed and changes into her clothes. After gathering her stuff into her backpack, Lyric exits her room to head to the Pokemon Center counter, where she sees Joy and Nurse Joy speaking with each other.

"Mom!" Joy cries. "I need that plane ticket to go to the Grand Festival!"

Nurse Joy responds. "But Joy, you're supposed to become a nurse, like every girl in our whole family! You promised me that you would go to Nursing School in Canalave City."

"Fine, mom. I'll go to Canalave City on one condition: you let me fly to Sunyshore City and participate in the Grand Festival after I get the Celestic Ribbon."

Nurse Joy looks down, but then nods. "When I was your age, I wanted to enter the Sinnoh League. I guess it will just take you a little while to realize how great you could be at nursing."

Joy smiles and exits the Pokemon Center. Lyric walks up to Nurse Joy. "Here's my room key. I was wondering if you could register me for the Pokemon Contest today."

Nurse Joy nods and takes her key. After that, she scans Lyric's Pokedex. "You're all set. Good luck!"

Lyric hurries from the Pokemon Center and goes into the Celestic Contest Hall. She passes through swaths of spectators and enters a green room. Joy is preparing her Ambipom, so Lyric decides not to bug her. Empoleon comes out of his Pokeball excitedly. "So you want to appeal? Okay!" Lyric says.

After waiting several minutes, Marion's voice comes up on the intercom. "What a spectactular performance by Jeremiah! Our next coordinator is Lyric!"

Lyric stands up and returns Empoleon. She runs from the green room onto the open stage, where she begins her performance with Empoleon. "Empoleon! Spotlight!"

Empoleon bursts from his Pokeball surrounded by bubbles. His large body pops most of them, and then he lands on the ground, creating a loud thud and cracks in the earth. The audience is quiet, embarrassed for Lyric. "Uh, okay, Empoleon! Spin and use BubbleBeam!"

Empoleon spins rapidly, and then begins his BubbleBeam. He blasts a chunk out of the wall with it and falls over. "Oh, no, Empoleon! Uh, just, get up? Uh, use Drill Peck into the air!"

Empoleon spins again, but instead of facing the sky, he begins to dig up the stage. "No, Empoleon!"

The crowd laughs, and Lyric returns Empoleon with tears in her eyes. She runs off of the stage, beginning to cry. Once back in the green room, Lyric is met by Joy. "Hey, Lyric. Sorry about that."

"But what went wrong? Empoleon has been in so many contests before!"

"Sometimes, Pokemon just aren't cut out for performance. Empoleon is big, heavy, and powerful - three things that aren't the best for contests. Maybe he has run his course."

"You're right. I've got to get out of here so I can fix what went wrong before Snowpoint City. Bye, and good luck!" Lyric says. She grabs her stuff and waves goodbye, running from the contest hall.

After Lyric slows down, she begins to take a look at the scenery. "Wow, it looks like we're going through Mt. Coronet again. I haven't been to the west of Sinnoh since that cave-in. Too bad it's going to be super cold this time. My aunt lives near Lake Acuity, and she says it's always snowing up there."

Lyric passes into the cave, and then sees snow on the other end of it. She pulls a jacket, hat, gloves and a scarf, and lets Ponyta out for warmth. The two exit the cave and begin to trudge through the snow together. Ponyta's warmth melts the snow in their path, allowing them to move quickly. Lyric sees a house in the distance, and decides to stop their moving and head there for the night. Ponyta follows, but then suddenly finds a small Snover wanting a battle.

"Ponyta, come on! Use Flame Charge!" Ponyta runs at the Snover, and knocks it out in one hit. "Nice." Lyric says.

Soon, a Sneasel comes along. Ponyta knocks it out as well, but then at least twenty Weavile come out from the snow. "Uh-oh, Ponyta. Use Flare Blitz!" Ponyta runs in a circle, and nails about fifteen of the Weavile. The remaining five draw closer. "Ponyta! Use Low Kick!" Ponyta kicks her hind legs, knocking a few more Weavile, leaving one left. The Weavile jumps at Ponyta, scratching her. "Ponyta! Watch out and use Stomp!" Ponyta jumps up and steps on the head of Weavile, knocking it out.

"Great job, Pon - what?" Lyric asks. Ponyta begins to glow. "Ponyta! You're evolving!" Ponyta grows in size and then the light disappears, revealing Rapidash.

Rapidash lowers herself, allowing Lyric to get on her back. Rapidash rides off to the house, they knock on the door.

The door opens, and a woman begins to speak. "Lyric! I was hoping that you would come!", as the **_the journey continues!_**


	26. The Snowpoint Contest

**Chapter 26: The Snowpoint Contest**

Lyric heads into the house. "Hello, aunt Vanessa!".

Vanessa smiles. "I haven't seen you in a while. Sorry about the last contest."

"It's okay. Empoleon just is too big to be in them anymore. That's why he won't be in the Snowpoint Contest."

Vanessa nods and readies some tea. Lyric returns Rapidash and sits down on the couch. Vanessa returns. "It's getting pretty late. Why don't you stay the night?"

"Okay!" Lyric says. They spend the night catching up and meeting Lyric's Pokemon. Vanessa gives Lyric some gifts and treats to the Pokemon, and then they have dinner. Vanessa shows Lyric off to a guest room, and Lyric changes to her pajamas. After slipping under the covers, Lyric shuts her eyes and gets to sleep.

* * *

Lyric wakes up as the white sunlight peeks through her window. After changing, she exits the room and heads back to Vanessa's front room. Vanessa prepares tea and muffins. They eat, and then Lyric tells her aunt that it is time to go. Vanessa hugs her and wishes her good luck as Lyric leaves the building. Rapidash comes out again, and Lyric rides Rapidash through the snowy wonderland. After passing a large cliff with a sign labeled "Lake Acuity", Rapidash turns right and they ride into Snowpoint City.

Lyric checks in at the front desk in the Contest Hall, and then heads into the green room. She lets Buneary out with Rapidash. "Okay, you two! We're going to win this Contest today, and then we'll have all five needed ribbons! Then we'll somehow make it to Sunyshore City and enter the Grand Festival!"

Marion's voice begins over the intercom like it always does. "Next up, we have Lyric from Jubilife City making a comeback from last time!"

Lyric returns Buneary and grumbles, and then runs out onto the stage. "Buneary! Spotlight!"

Buneary's Pokeball opens, creating hearts flying everywhere. Buneary jumps through one of the ones in the middle, smashing them all at once. "Okay, Buneary! Let's do this! Use Ice Beam to create a roller coaster track, and then Bounce to the top off it!"

Buneary obeys, gracefully leaping into the air. She creates a loopty-loop out of ice and then hops on it, spinning on one foot as she rides it. The audience goes wild. "Now smash it with Dizzy Punch!"

Buneary goes down the roller coaster again, and then smashes the top of the loop with her ears. It shatters, and Buneary lands carefully on the ground. The audience stands up and cheers as Buneary hops into Lyric's arms. Lyric carries her offstage, where Rapidash greets them. "Okay, Rapidash. It's pretty clear that we'll be in the semi-finals. I need you to battle with beauty!"

Rapidash and Buneary cheer, and the results pop up on the board. Lyric is facing a coordinator named Lucile.

Lyric returns Rapidash and heads off to the stage. Lucile sends out her Mothim, and Lyric sends Rapidash out. "Okay, Rapidash. This will be easy. Use Flame Charge!"

Rapidash bursts with flames, and then charges at the Mothim. Mothim flies up, but Rapidash follows, slamming Mothim's wing. "Nice!" Lyric calls.

Mothim recovers, and is ordered to use Silver Wind. The wind blows Rapidash backwards and causes the battlefield to look shiny, lowering Lyric's score.

"Rapidash! Flare Blitz on the battlefield!" Rapidash slams itself of the ground, creating a star of fire on the floor. Mothim's burned wing curls up, causing it to fall into the center of the star. "Rapidash! Finish it off with Stomp!"

Rapidash hurries over to Mothim and pounces on it. Mothim stops moving. "Mothim is unable to battle! Lyric and Rapidash win!" Marion shouts.

Lyric returns Rapidash and they run offstage.

The other winner is Jeremiah, with his new Magnezone, so Lyric turns right around to go out onto the battlefield.

Jeremiah stands opposite of her.

"Rapidash!" Lyric shouts. "Let's go to the Grand Festival!", as **_the journey continues!_**


	27. Completing the Collection

**Chapter 27: Completing the Collection**

Rapidash flies out of her Pokeball at full speed to meet eyes with Jeremiah's Magnezone.

Jeremiah begins. "I just need this ribbon! Magnezone! Use Harden!"

Magnezone polishes itself over. "Rapidash! Full speed ahead and use Bounce to get on Magnezone!"

Rapidash jumps up onto Magnezone's back. She hops around on him, but then Jeremiah interferes. "Magnezone! Discharge!"

"Rapidash! Get off of it!"

Rapidash leaps as fast as she can, and Magnezone discharges electricity. Rapidash is slightly stung, but collects herself. "Rapidash! Use Flame Charge and fast!"

Rapidash leaps up again, but this time encased in fire. She slams the bottom of Magnezone, and it tumbles to the ground. Rapidash elegantly somersaults out of the air back to where she began, and the Magnezone gets up. It uses Headbutt and flies at Rapidash. Rapidash is hit, but her fiery mane turns Magnezone red, lowering both of their scores.

"Rapidash! Let's finish this once and for all! Flare Blitz with all your might!"

Rapidash glows red and exudes flames as she charges at the weak Magnezone. Magnezone flops backwards and then the timer ends.

Lyric looks up at the timer to see that their scores are incredibly close.

Marion gasps. "It looks like we have a t- wait! We have a winner, going for their fifth ribbon, please welcome Lyric to the Grand Festival!"

Lyric gasps. Mr. Contesta presents Lyric with the white and green Snowpoint Ribbon, and then Lyric looks into the crowd. She spots Duncan waving from the front row with his Infernape and Roserade.

Marion dismisses the crowd. "Thank you all for coming! See you at the festival!"

Lyric walks down the hall to the green room clutching the ribbon and thanking Rapidash. She gets to her things and tells Buneary. Buneary pulls out the rest of Lyric's Pokeballs. "Great idea, Buneary! Everyone, come on out!"

Empoleon, Glameow, Staravia, and Shellos break free from their Pokeballs. "We won the contest! We're going to Sunyshore City!" The Pokemon cheer. "Now this isn't all fun and games. The Grand Festival showcases the best coordinators in the region, so we have got to be perfect for it! There are two days before the opening ceremonies, and that means we have to train. I know that the festival is a Double Performance, so two of you will not be able to participate. However, that does not mean you can't help us all out! On the way to Sunyshore, I will choose who is performing in the festival."

The Pokemon nod, and Lyric returns all but Buneary, who wants to be carried. Lyric exits the hall to find herself in a large plaza lined with shops. Duncan runs over to greet her. "Wow, Lyric! Great job! I suppose that you'll be wanting a ride to Sunyshore now, right?"

"Yeah, Duncan!" Lyric says.

"Well, have I got the perfect thing for us. My grandparents own a dock down on the port. I thought you and I could ride one of their boats down to Sunyshore. That way, you would be able to get there early, and I would have time to get the last gym badge!"

"Great idea, Duncan!" Lyric responds. Duncan shows Lyric to a boat by the docks. She hops on, followed by Duncan, and the captain takes off.

"Okay, Duncan, I'm faced with a tough decision. Which four of my Pokemon are going to be in the festival?" Lyric asks as she lets all of her Pokemon out again.

Duncan looks at each of them. Lyric asks them if any of them choose not to participate. Empoleon nods, and Lyric returns him. "Okay, narrowed it down to five - Glameow, Staravia, Buneary, Shellos, and Rapidash."

Duncan pauses. "Maybe think of what each one excels at. I know Buneary and Rapidash are great battlers."

"You're right, Duncan! Buneary? Rapidash? Would you like to be in the battling rounds?"

Buneary and Rapidash shout with glee.

"Okay! Okay! You two will battle. Now I just need my appealers."

Duncan interjects. "Last time Staravia appealed, no offense, she kind of fell from the sky and evolved."

Lyric nods. "You're right. Sorry, Staravia."

Staravia shrugs and flies to a perch.

"It's time for training!" Lyric says, as _ **the journey continues!**_


	28. Bonding and Battling

I'm taking this chapter as the chance to develop Duncan as well as some of Lyric's Pokemon. Therefore, this chapter will be more focused on Duncan than Lyric, so I can see the full potential of his character. If I end up liking the result, I'll keep Duncan in mind when I write my next story.

* * *

**Chapter 28: Bonding and Battling**

Duncan walks over to Lyric. "Why don't I help Buneary and Rapidash make some move combos? I've seen enough of your contests to know what's going on."

"That's a great idea, Duncan! Why don't you take them to the back of the boat and practice?"

Duncan nods and leads Buneary and Rapidash to the upper deck of the boat. Buneary tugs at his fingerless glove until he pulls it off and hands it to her. She tries it on her own paw, but it droops off. "It's too big, Buneary. I have some other things you may want, though, if you like accessories so much."

Buneary jumps into his arm. After returning the glove to him, Buneary watches Duncan root around through his messy bag. He, after a while, pulls out a yellow scarf and a light blue bow. Buneary ties the bow onto her ear, and Duncan wraps her in the scarf, though it drags a foot behind her. She happily runs in circles with the scarf dragging behind her.

Rapidash comes over. She carefully nudges Duncan, cueing him to remain on task. "Okay, Buneary, you should quiet down." Buneary blushes. "It's fine, Buneary. I just want to please Lyric with the work we can do."

Rapidash flares her nostrils and stomps up into Duncan's face. "She's my friend, you guys! Just my friend! My best friend can be a girl if I want!"

Rapidash backs away, and then allows Duncan to begin the training. "So, you two. You will be contest battling. That means that you have to look good and win, too! I think we can use Buneary's Ice Beam really well with your fire, Rapidash, and I actually had an idea. What if Buneary froze a large, portion of the battlefield with about six feet of ice? Buneary, can you do that?"

Buneary nods and hops into the air gracefully. She spins around with her scarf gently twirling around her, and she freezes a perfect circle of six feet of ice on the boat.

"Okay, Rapidash. Try to walk under it so you can melt the bottom but not the top."

Rapidash hesitates, but then steps near the ice. A perfect arch begins to melt, and Rapidash heads inside. Soon, Rapidash is running in a spiral to the middle, illuminating the ice and creating a path for herself as she walks. "Perfect! Now jump up and use Flame Charge!"

Rapidash reaches the center of the ice and leaps from the center. She melts a perfect hole in the top of the ice and then lands on the ground.

"That actually worked, you two! Let's move on. Did you have any ideas yourself?"

Rapidash nods. Buneary hops up onto Rapidash's head, and Rapidash begins to run. Buneary spins on Rapidash's horn and readies a Dizzy Punch. Rapidash looks downwards and Buneary's ears collide with a pile of life rafts, sending them everywhere. "Wow, you guys. These combos are working well!"

Lyric comes around the corner with Shellos and Glameow. "How's it working out, Duncan?"

Duncan turns to her. "We came up with a bunch of combinations to show you. I also gave Buneary some props I got from Hearthome City, as she likes to accessorize, if that's okay with you."

"It's fine by me! Let's have a look at what you came up with!"

Rapidash and Buneary run the Dizzy Punch charge move, and Lyric claps. "You know what would make that better? Rapidash, you should use Flame Charge, too!" Lyric says.

Rapidash nods and they do the routine again, only this time adding some fire to the mix. The hit is twice as powerful, and Buneeary cheers. "Great! Now, what was the other combo?"

Duncan replies. "I call it Ice Colosseum!"

Buneary leaps into the air and freeze the thick ground. Rapidash creates the tunnels under the ice and then comes up from underneath. Lyric jumps and claps. "That is amazing! I'll have to use those in the festival!"

Duncan looks over at the horizon. "Speaking of which, maybe we should hit the hay and get some rest."

Lyric returns Rapidash, Glameow, and Shellos, and then carries Buneary into the bedroom onboard. Lyric tucks in bed across from Duncan.

"Good night!" she says, as **_the journey continues!_**


	29. Sailing into Sunyshore

Wow, everyone! There are only three more chapters in this story! It seems like we're winding down a bit, yet we're reaching the climax very soon! Anyway, I'm going to squeeze an entire day into this chapter and then some to begin the Grand Festival on time. This is going to be one long chapter. On top of that, I thought it would be a good opportunity to state the obvious. I've really enjoyed writing this story, and at least fifty visitors, which is close enough to fame for me. Thank you to the readers!

* * *

**Chapter 29: Sailing into Sunyshore**

Lyric opens her eyes as she feels a paw and a finger poking her face. "Lyric! Get up!" Duncan says. "We arrived in Sunyshore twenty minutes ago!" Lyric sits up in terror.

"Oh my goodness!" she shouts. Duncan exits the cabin as Lyric changes. Buneary climbs up onto the top of her head as Lyric runs off of the boat and into the busy city of Sunyshore.

"Wow, this is like the mini version of Jubilife City!" Lyric says. She spins around, looking from the busy shops and tourists to the beach and lighthouse. Lyric follows Duncan to a corner on the street.

"I don't know what you're going to be doing, Lyric, but I'm headed to the gym. See you in the Grand Festival!" he says.

Lyric waves goodbye to him as she scans the area for signs pointing to the Grand Festival plaza. Finally, she sees a group of eager-looking younger girls raving about the Grand Festival. "Excuse me? Do you know where the hall is?"

The girls stop and turn at her, and then all gasp together. They begin to buzz about with questions for her. "Are you really Lyric from Jubilife? Is your Buneary shiny? Do you think you're gonna win? Will you sign my forehead?"

Lyric stops them. "If you lead me to the Grand Festival plaza, I'll answer all of your questions and sign your forehead!"

They pause and then begin shouting again. They grab her hand and pull her through the crowd to the plaza. "Okay! Here we go! Yes, I am. Yes, my Buneary is shiny, and I hope I win, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Here - I'll sign your foreheads."

Lyric bends down, pulls out a black pen, and signs each of the little girls' foreheads. "Thank you, Miss Lyric! We'll root for you in the Festival for sure!" one says.

Another girl shouts. "Look! There's Fantina!", and they all run off.

Lyric stands up and turns around, when she bumps into an older looking man. "Professor Rowan! I'm sorry!"

Professor Rowan looks down at her happily. "No need to be sorry. You've come a long way from that first day in Sandgem Town. The whole lab came out here to watch you in the Grand Festival!"

"Really?" Lyric asks,

Professor steps to the side, revealing all of his assistants waving at her.

"Thank you!" Lyric says. A group of tourists intercepts their conversation, so Lyric hurries away from the huge crowd.

She sees a man with brown hair, red glasses, and a polo shirt and jeans. "Daddy!" she cries. Lyric hurries over to him and gives him a big hug.

"Lyric! Hello! I've missed you so much, and can I tell you, your mother and I are so very proud of you! Unfortunately, she couldn't make it because of someone's sick Torkoal, and being the Jubilfe Nurse Joy, after all."

"It's okay, Dad! I'm just glad you made it!" Lyric says. Buneary jumps up onto his shoulder.

"Hello, Buneary! I've been wanting to meet you since your very first contest!"

Buneary pulls off his glasses and tries them on. Lyric and her father laugh, and then Buneary returns them.

Her father continues. "I'm staying in the hotel near Pokemon Rock if you'd like to come!"

Lyric nods. "I want to see the rest of the festival for a bit, and then I'll find you. Okay?"

"Sounds good!" he says. Buneary jumps back onto Lyric's head, and her father walks away. Lyric walks down a path and finds a row of stalls outside the Grand Festival hall.

"Do you want anything Buneary?" Lyric asks. They walk down the row, Buneary catches sight of a stall she likes.

"Bun! Bun!" Buneary eagerly calls. Lyric acknowledges Buneary and heads to the stall. The man running the shop greets her.

"I got the perfect stuff for your Buneary, hun! I got vests, necklaces, bracelets, you name it! Hey! Are you that girl in contests?" he says.

"Uh, yeah! I'm Lyric, and my Buneary really likes your stuff." Lyric replies as she looks around for something. Buneary hops onto the table and picks up a feather bracelet. "You like that?"

The man pauses, and then begins to speak. "You're a celebrity. Let's make a deal. You can take this bracelet free if I can get your autograph in this book here."

"Okay!" Lyric says, questioningly. She picks up his notebook and opens to a clean page. He hands her a pen and she signs it. After returning it, she helps Buneary put on the bracelet, and then they shop around a bit more. Lyric then decides to head back to the hotel. On the way back, Lyric passes by many people.

Duncan runs over to her. "Lyric! I got all eight badges!"

"Congratulations!" Lyric says excitedly. He shows her the badges and she smiles. "Now we're both done with our collections!"

Lyric then realizes the sun is setting. "Hmm. That was a really short day. I have to head off to see my father. See you tomorrow?"

"Yep!" Duncan says. They head off in different directions, and Lyric arrives at the hotel.

"Hey, Dad!" she says as she enters his room.

"Hello, Lyric! How was your day?" he asks.

Lyric sits down on the couch, placing her backpack and some gift bags down along with Buneary. Buneary shows him her new bracelet, and then Lyric empties out her other shopping bags. "Let's see. I got this Grand Festival t-shirt, and this cute Phione necklace for good luck! Also, I grabbed this basket of berries, these special poffins, some bracelets, this cool light-up Lanturn toy, and some stuff for you, mom, and Baxter, for when he gets back from college in Kanto!"

"Wow, Lyric. You got way too much." his father says, cutting her off. "Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, dad! I had some berries, so I'm ready for bed and tomorrow!"

Lyric's dad nods and shows her to her bedroom. She changes into he pajamas and gets to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Lyric's alarm clock goes off. "Shoot! I'm late again!" she cries. She changes into her outfit for the day, and packs up her belongings. She leaves a note for her father and runs from the hotel. Lyric sprints down the road to the Grand Festival plaza. She checks in with the on-site Nurse Joy, and then runs off to the Green Stage green room. She lets Glameow, Shellos, and Rapidash out.

"Okay, you guys! We're here in Sunyshore City! Shellos and Glameow! It's your time to shine, so let's win the Grand Festival! The two judges we have are Mr. Sukizo and the Nurse Joy from Pastoria City. The appeals start any minute now, so we should be ready."

Shellos and Glameow nod and smile. Marion's voice comes up on a large screen. "Attention, all of you talented coordinators! The appeals on the Green Stage are beginning! Please read your Pokedex to see what number you are!"

Lyric flips open her Pokedex to find her number being four out of twelve. "A lot of trainers have gathered all five ribbons. Huh, you guys?" Her Pokemon nod. They then sit there for a while, waiting for the other coordinators to go.

Marion's voice comes up again. "And now, here's Lyric! She has earned this appeal with her ribbons from Eterna, Veilstone, Pastoria, Hearthome, and Snowpoint! Give it up for her!"

The audience cheers as Lyric returns Glameow and Shellos, running out onto the Green Stage.

"Shellos! Glameow! Spotlight!" she calls. Shellos's Pokeball opens, and Shellos springs forth from it, landing on a bubble created by the seal. Glameow comes out next, as she rolls out on a giant ball of yarn created by her own seal. Shellos's seal bubble pops, and Shellos spins gracefully down to land on Glameow's back.

"Okay, Glameow! Load Shellos into your Iron Tail and spin on your forelegs!" Shellos slides into Glameow's now glowing tail with her head sticking from the back. Glameow whips her body around, spinning Shellos as well. "Now, Shellos! Scald!"

Shellos, while still spinning, begins to spew steaming water. The water forms a ring around the two Pokemon, and then they stop spinning. The water immediately evaporates into a ring-shaped steam cloud.

"Glameow! Use Shadow Claw on the front of the cloud, and Shellos! Use Rain Dance!"

Shellos dances in circles, causing it to rain over the cloud. Glameow strikes the edge of the steam cloud with her purple claws, and then the force reverberates through the cloud. The rain begins to go backwards, as if it is originating from the ground.

Marion is taken aback. "Wow! It's raining upside down! Lyric has made contest magic again!"

Lyric smiles and looks into the audience. She sees her father, Professor Rowan, Duncan, and the girls from the previous day. She returns her Pokemon and runs offstage.

Joy stops her. "Hey, Lyric! That was amazing! I guess I'll be seeing you in the finals!"

Lyric smiles. "I saw your appeal, too, Joy. Your Gible looked great!"

Joy blushes. "Thanks. Anyway, I have to go back to the Red Stage green room. See you!"

Lyric waves, and goes over to her things. "Come on out, Glameow and Shellos!" she calls. "You guys were awesome! Now all we have to do is win this battle round!"

Buneary and Rapidash rejoice, as **_the journey continues!_**


	30. The Grand Festival

**Chapter 30: The Grand Festival**

"Okay, come on you guys! The winners are being announced!" Lyric says.

Marion's voice comes up and the central screen turns on. "What a marvelous appeal round here at this Grand Festival! Now it's time to announce the coordinators moving on to the battle rounds! The thirty-two highest-scoring contestants are going on! We have Jacob, Cassandra..."

Marion lists many trainers, and Lyric anxiously waits to see her future. Marion continues. "... and Dina! Then the top five: Julien, Harold, Joy, Clyde, and Lyric!"

Lyric cheers and her Pokemon surround her. Marion continues her speech. "The battles are currently being matched right now! The screen then shows a tournament diagram. Lyric looks at it. "We're battling Julien, and then either Harold or Dina, and then a few more people before the finals. Let's win this!"

She runs from the room onto the center stage. Julien sends out his two Wormadam, so Lyric uses Buneary and Rapidash's super-effective moves to win in a snap. Lyric heads off of the stage and waits through the rest of the Top 32 battles.

She then heads on to battle Dina. Dina uses a Dustox and a Beautifly. Lyric, once again, makes use of Buneary's Ice Beam to knock the two out of the sky. Then Rapidash charges them with Flame Charge, and Lyric wins again.

Lyric exits the stage and waits for the other five battles to complete. Next, the Top 8 battles begin. Lyric battles a boy from Hoenn named Clyde. He uses his Blaziken and his Azumarill. Lyric struggles with the battle, but ultimately wins with a Stomp and Bounce combination.

Clyde is dismayed, but Lyric moves on to the Semi-Finals, and the Top Four, which consists of Joy, Kim, Tommy, and Lyric. Lyric is told she is battling Tommy. After resting Buneary and Rapidash, Lyric gives them a pep-talk. "Okay, you two. We've made it incredibly far, but we can't give up now! We're in the Top 4, so that means we are one battle away from the finals, and then one battle to become a Top Coordinator! I believe in you, so let's give it all we've got!"

Buneary and Rapidash cheer, and then are returned as Lyric's battle begins. Lyric looks at Tommy from across the field. "Good luck!" she calls. Tommy pushes his glasses up so they shine, blocking his eyes out.

"You're the one who needs it!" he confidently replies. Lyric gulps, and then lets Buneary and Rapidash out of their Pokeballs.

Tommy releases his Tauros and his Persian. They both attack simultaneously, scraping up both Buneary and Rapidash. "Guys! Watch out and counter with the Dizzy Flame Charge!"

Buneary jumps up onto Rapidash's horn and starts to spin. Rapidash engulfs itself with flames and and charges at the two Pokemon. Buneary readies herself for the Dizzy Punch, and then they make contact. Buneary knocks the Pokemon to the ground, and then Rapidash tramples them, burning Persian and Tauros under hoof.

Marion stops the battle. "Five minutes is up! The winner is Lyric!"

Lyric jumps and returns her Pokemon, hurrying offstage. Joy is there to greet her, like always. "It looks we kept our promises. We're in the finals, and I expect it to be a great battle!"

Lyric grins. "You're on, Joy!" The two high-five and head out for the finals. They look over at Marion as she announces.

"Well, this is it, Sinnoh region fans and beyond! It's the final round of the Sinnoh Region Grand Festival, and what talented coordinators we have here! On the right, we have Joy from Celestic Town! Joy has won her five ribbons from Sunyshore, Floaroma, Oreburgh, Solaceon, and Celestic! She has wowed audiences with amazing skill, particularly in the appeal round! But will she be able to beat her opponent and rival? On the left, we have Lyric from Jubilife City! Lyric's ribbons came from Eterna, Veilstone, Pastoria, Hearthome, and Snowpoint! Lyric has defied all odds with shiny Pokemon, evolving Pokemon, and everything in between! It all comes down to this! It's time to crown our newest Top Coordinator! The battle clock is ready with five minutes! In five minutes, one of these two girls will be the champion of the festival! Ready! Set! Go!"

Lyric's heart pounds as she throws Rapidash and Buneary's Pokeballs forth. "Buneary! Rapidash! Spotlight!" Buneary bursts out first, completing a few flips before landing on the ground carefully, scarf draggin behind her. Rapidash flies elegantly from her Pokemon, surrounded by hearts.

Joy does the same. "Ambipom! Snover! Curtain!" she calls. Ambipom, surrounded by stars, explodes from his Pokeball, spins, and waits. Snover rolls across the floor surrounded by stars as well.

Joy begins the battle. "Ambipom! Snover! Double Team!"

The two Pokemon quickly duplicate themselves around the battlefield. Lyric pauses, anxious. "Okay, you two! Don't attack them! Buneary! Create the thick ice sheet for Ice Colosseum, but Rapidash, don't move!"

Rapidash helps throw Buneary up into the air. Buneary flips and spins, and then Buneary prepares her Ice Beam. She creates a large circle, and in the process, she freezes out the dummy opponents.

Joy steps back, confused at what Lyric is attempting. Instead of attacking the ice, Joy has her Pokemon hop onto the ice like it is the new battlefield. Snover easily glides across the ice, while Ambipom slips and falls.

Joy bites her lip. "Ambipom! Use Double Team again! Snover! Don't let Ambipom get hit!"

Snover draws close to Ambipom, who uses Double Team, creating several holograms of himself. Snover grabs onto the arm of one of the Ambipom.

Lyric's eyes light up. "Buneary! Use Jump Kick on the Ambipom Snover just touched!"

Buneary comes out from the sky and slams the back of Ambipom's head to the ice. Ambipom looks up, but Buneary strikes again, knocking his head on the cold battlefield. Buneary continues to attack him until he is unconscious.

Marion announces the event. "Buneary knocked out Ambipom! Ambipom is unable to battle!"

Joy returns Ambipom, looks angrily at Lyric, but then sees Lyric looking happily back, and remembers that there is no time to be angry. She shouts at Snover to continue and use Hail.

Snover summons a hailstorm, and the hail begins to fall. Lyric intervenes. "Buneary! Bounce around on the ice to lure Snover to the middle, and Rapidash! Ice Colosseum!"

Buneary bounces over and around Snover repeatedly, causing him to back slowly into the center of the ice circle. Rapidash, meanwhile and unknown to Joy, dashes into the ice, creating a swirly network of archways underneath the ice.

Joy prepares her next attack. "Snover! Ice Shard on Buneary!"

Lyric stops it. "Buneary! Bounce on his shard before he throws it, and then jump as high as you can!"

Buneary bounces onto Snover's causing him to lose his Ice Shard and start the attack over again. "And, go!" Lyric shouts. Rapidash blasts through the ice directly below Snover, and Snover flies straight into the air.

"Finish him, Buneary! Use Dizzy Punch on him to force him down onto the battlefield!"

Rapidash quickly melts the ice, and then Buneary intercepts the helpless Snover hurtling through the air. She forces him down as Rapidash prepares a Low Kick. "Rapidash! Smash that Snover over to Joy!" Rapidash obeys, and when Snover reaches her proximity, Rapidash kicks him with full force using her hind legs. Snover awkwardly tumbles over to Joy and faints. Buneary gently spins out of the sky and lands on Rapidash's horn. Rapidash lowers Buneary as Marion announces.

"What an amazing strategy by Lyric! Snover is unable to battle! Lyric is the winner of the Grand Festival!" Marion shouts.

Joy looks over at Lyric with tears in her eyes, but Lyric comes over to her. "It's like you said in Celestic Town. We all have our good days and bad days. You were great."

Joy smiles. "At least I lost to the best coordinator in Sinnoh! You were amazing. You deserved to win. Nice job, Lyric." They hug, and then Joy heads offstage. Lyric lets Shellos, Glameow, Empoleon, and Staravia out as well.

Mr. Contesta comes up to Lyric, followed by Mr. Sukizo and Marion. Marion begins. "That was amazing, Lyric! Right when I saw you in Eterna City, I knew that you had a chance to be here. To think you did!"

Mr. Sukizo continues where she left off. "You were more than remarkable!"

Mr. Contesta nods. "Lyric, for all of your hard work, I would like to present you with this - the Sinnoh Region Ribbon Cup!"

Lyric gasps as she picks up the large golden cup from the table. Her heart races as she shouts to the roaring audience. "Thank you, everyone!"

She then turns to her Pokemon. "Thank you all the most. Without you guys, I would never be standing here claiming this award. Each and everyone of you is special to me, no matter your size, attitude, or talent. I know that I couldn't - we couldn't have made it here without your hard work."

Her Pokemon cheer, and she waves back to the audience. A few groups of people exit the festival, most likely Joy's fans, but a majority of them stay to cheer for her. Lyric heads offstage and gathers her things. "I should return some of you. Buneary and Glameow paw and claw at her. "I said some, you two. I'll carry you out."

Lyric waves goodbye to the green room and its emptiness. "I'll miss these rooms." After returning Empoleon, Shellos, Staravia, and Rapidash, Lyric places Buneary on her head and Glameow in her arms, pushing the door open to the plaza.

A sea of people crowd around her, and then a familiar boy pushes through. Duncan runs up and gives Lyric a huge hug and then stops. "I'm so proud of you, Lyric! I knew you could do it! Our journey together has been amazing!"

Lyric smiles. "Thanks, Duncan, but I think that our journey is just getting started." She high-fives him and pushes through her fans.

After squeezing out of them all, Lyric manages to find her dad on the phone by a stall. "Daddy!" she calls. He says goodbye to the caller and hugs her.

"I am so proud of you, Lyric. You're the greatest daughter anyone could ever ask for!" he says, wiping tears from his eyes. They begin to walk down the road when someone taps Lyric on the shoulder.

Lyric spins around to find Joy smiling at her. "I'm so happy that you won. I guess this is goodbye. You were an excellent rival. I'm headed off to Celestic Town to see my mom."

They hug and Joy walks off. Lyric continues to walk with her dad. "It's great that you two are still such great friends after that whole experience."

Lyric responds. "It only brought us closer."

Her dad turns to her. "Oh, I just remembered! Your mother just called. She says she is throwing a party in Canalave City Park! She'll be on a trip there anyway, so she'll be able to congratulate you in person. If there is anyone you might want to bring on our boat ride there, just tell me!"

Lyric looks down at her Poketch and sees Duncan's face in the corner. "I have one person in mind."

Lyric smiles and they head back to the cottage, as **_the journey continues!_**


	31. New Beginnings

Attention - I updated my story but cannot update previous ones as the documents expired, so please disregard earlier author notes regarding Kalos/Emily. Emily will make an appearance but the Kalos region will not.

* * *

Chapter 31: New Beginnings

Lyric paces down the busy Sunyshore City streets with her father and Duncan. "So Duncan, what do you think you'll be doing now that you have all of the badges. It stinks that the Sinnoh League championship happened a few months ago. You'll have to wait until the next one to participate."

Duncan nods. "I guess so. I thought that I'd take another lap around the Sinnoh region with just one of my Pokemon. Maybe that way I can catch some more for the Sinnoh League. And while I'm at it, I thought that I could also have a more relaxed journey. Kick back, and enjoy myself."

Lyric's father agrees. "Laid back journeys are always nice. You can bond more with your Pokemon. As long as there is a goal in mind, you can take your time."

Duncan grins. "I was going to catch a boat to Twinleaf Town and then Professor Rowan promised to give me a new Pokemon."

Lyric's eyes widen. "Another Pokemon?"

Duncan nods. "Yeah. He said he caught a new Turtwig that he wanted me to have."

A voice speaks behind them. "Yes, I did say that, didn't I." The three turn around to see Professor Rowan. "Congratulations, Lyric. I'm so proud that your Pokemon were able to win the Grand Festival with you. And as a winning gift, I want you to have a Pokemon, too. Unfortunately, I don't have any others, so we'll have to travel back to Sandgem Town so I can give you one."

Lyric grins. "Thank you, Professor."

Rowan walks away, leaving the three alone again. Lyric's dad directs them to the docks. "Okay, everyone. I arranged for a boat to pick you two up and bring you to Twinleaf Town. Your things are already on the ship, Lyric."

They all walk with him to the docks, where Duncan and Lyric get on a yacht. "Thanks, daddy!" Lyric says. She places Buneary and Glameow down, and Duncan lets all of his Pokemon out. They wave goodbye as the boat speed off through the water. Lyric lets her Pokemon out as well.

"Off we go, everybody! We're heading back to Twinleaf Town! Professor Rowan wants to meet me in Sandgem, but for now, we have this fancy yacht and a day worth of fun on the ocean!"

Duncan nods. "This is going to be amazing!"

The boat curves around the south of Sunyshore City and passes the Pastoria beach. It comes to a cove with a beach, waterfall, and surprisingly warm weather. "Who knew this was in Sinnoh?" Lyric asks.

Duncan points to a small dock. "Let's stop to play!" The boat pulls in and Lyric and Duncan change into their swimwear. After that, they hop down to the beach. Empoleon follows Lyric confidently into the water, and Rapidash wades in. Shellos slides across the shallow water, head above the surface, and Buneary carefully leaves her accessories on the boat, hopping into the water. Glameow hisses at the water, so Buneary creates a raft out of ice for her.

Duncan's Infernape reclines on the beach while his Roserade roots herself in the wet sand. His Heracross and Haunter splash about with Buneary, while his Staraptor circles overhead with Lyric's Staravia. Duncan's Goldeen swims around Empoleon and then Duncan jumps into the water and splashes Lyric.

"Hey!" Lyric calls as she splashes back. They continue to drench each other until a wave knocks them both over. They swim up laughing and Duncan gets out of the water, grabbing two towels. They dry off and then usher the Pokemon onto the yacht once more. The yacht takes off again and it speeds past Mt. Coronet and arrives in Twinleaf Town.

Duncan and Lyric get off of the boat and walk into town, as _the journey continues!_


End file.
